Find Your Center
by DbKiT
Summary: For the longest time Hinata has been living on borrowed time as heir of the Hyuga clan. Loosing a fated match to her sister thrusts Hinata into a world more dangerous than she could have imagined. The world of the Branch family.
1. When Shino became a Jounin

**Title** : Find Your Center

**Main Characters:** Team 8. Hinata-centric.

**Summary:** For the longest time Hinata had been living on borrowed time as a member of the Main House. Loosing a fated match to her sister thrusts Hinata into a world more dangerous than she could have imagined. The world of the Branch family.

**Chapter 1:** When Shino became a Jounin

* * *

"Uh,oh. It looks like she's at it again." That was Kiba standing somewhere behind me and his companion, Akamaru, uttering a whine in compliance. Though the tone in their voices emitted concern I couldn't help but think they were amused by my efforts. A mix of both good and bad.

I winced only the tiniest bit when my palm connected with the wooden post at the wrong angle. But I held my tongue and let the sensation of fresh blood sliding over my palm and between my fingers motivate me to hit harder, feeling satisfaction when the wood compressed and buckled under my fury of palm strikes and kicks. My pace was set and I couldn't stop.

I had made it a goal to make it through a training log much faster than my usual span. Though the wood was infused with a special chakra to make them ultra resistant to most normal taijutsu, Kiba and Shino could tear one apart in a matter of days while I took a week or more.

I was determined to catch up. _Come on, log. I want you to break._ I struck harder, belting out Kiai from deep within my diaphragm to replenish the oxygen in my blood and help me to focus. It was therapeutic in a sense. Yelling was something I didn't do much. **Ya! Ya! Hya!** _I need you to break. _Kiba and Shino always made it look effortless.

A long time passed though I can't say exactly how much. I assumed Kiba eventually left to spar with Shino, leaving me to myself. I felt my blood sliding between my fingers and smelt the tang of iron in my nose making it itch. My hand couldn't get any traction on the post anymore. And though my self generated anger had been a strong veil to hide the pain it was wearing thin by this point. I could feel the hurt gradually begin to reintroduce itself to my body.

I had barely taken two steps away from the training post toward my supply bag when Kiba was suddenly obstructing my view, my stained hand clenched in his by the wrist. I could hear a growl rumbling at the base of his throat and I knew what I was in for. Ducking my head I tried to look ashamed.

"Dammit, Hinata why do you always do this?" And that was the usual question to start it off. He was always direct and to the point and I would always try to duck and roll from a direct answer.

"A little blood won't kill me, Kiba. I'm fine." I smiled but didn't make eye contact. Something told me my response wouldn't cut it.

"You call this a little blood?" His voice dead panned as he gestured at my own which by now was dripping blood onto his hand and sleeve. It took me a second to see the number I had done to myself. Maybe I was over doing it.

"Seriously, you've been doing this for the past two months. Working yourself till you bleed. I don't even think Lee takes it this far." His voice was raw with exasperation because this wasn't a new conversation. I bit the inside of my cheek when I felt the light flourish of irritation rise up from my belly. _Lee doesn't work himself till he bleeds because he doesn't have to. But there used to be a time when he did. And I'm still there._ Kiba wasn't about to sway me.

"I'm fine. Really." I smiled sweetly and took my hand away. Thankful that he didn't try to hold me. But there needed to be a shift in conversation quickly.

"Now look, you have blood all over yourself too." I sighed and motioned for him to follow me to my bag. I generally packed more than enough supplies to patch myself up after a days long training. His scowl was still set so I tried my best to placate him with an explanation.

"It was a mistake. My palm hit the post at a bad angle. And it really doesn't feel as bad as it looks..." I pulled out some of my ointments and a fresh cloth for Kiba to clean his hand with. He didn't say anything as he washed himself clean of my blood but I noticed his expression soften and decided I was safe for the time being. The stains of his sleeve urged me to utter an apology still.

"Um...I'm sorry...about that though." For a second he looked as if he didn't know what I was talking about. It was like he'd only just noticed the blood on his clothes and he smiled. "Nah, it's no big deal."

By the time I had finished putting ointment on my wound, wrapping it tight, Shino was walking through the field towards us.

"Well the suns setting. I guess we'll call it quits for now. The weather should be fare tomorrow and we can resume our training in the afternoon." Although Shino didn't phrase this as a question we knew he was actually waiting for our consent. Though we'd rarely disagree on the matter it was always best to make sure we all agreed on where and when we trained.

Kiba stretched and stood from his place next to me, flashing his canines briefly. "Sure, sounds like a plan to me. Now I can sleep in a little later than usual."

"Um, Shino... we usually start our training in the morning. Why are we suddenly changing the time."

Kiba shot me a side long glance. "Ey don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Hinata. A break is a break. Especially from ole 'Iron Sides Shino' here."  
I smiled to myself. That was Kiba's newest nickname for Shino among the many he had collected over the years. Some of them a lot more trying on the Aburame's ability to tolerate Kiba's colorful words of self expression. In its own way it was fitting since Shino was now a Jounin. A fresh one but a Jounin none the less. It was a proud position to hold ,being the second of our generation to gain the title.

* * *

I remember the day he won his match, a low overcast day with gray clouds threatening an onslaught of rain. Kiba was literally hanging off the guard rails somehow managing to not fall into the arena, howling obscenities and encouragement at the same time. I noted with some amusement that not one syllable of those insults were aimed at Shino's opponent.

Akamaru lay on the concrete floor with his head between the bars were we stood up in the balcony. At a quick glance I thought he might have been a sleep because of how still he was. But then a well aimed fist connected with Shino's jaw and all three of us flinched. All of us were absorbed completely into this battle.

I stood next to Kiba with my hand clenched to my chest in worry. Shino was down with an injury I couldn't see under his heavy coat but it looked like the Cloud-nin had him pinned. My team mate slowly stood in the center of the arena, his stance rigid in determination his left arm coming up briefly to wipe the blood pouring from his bottom lip. Our ever confident Shino. Silent yet always self assured. Watching him down there, I couldn't help but wonder if I could be just like that.

It had been a brutal proceeding that seemed to last into infinity. But an infinity where I could remember nearly every last detail. It started off light. A deadly spar between two fighters who knew nothing about the others style save what scarce knowledge they could uncover about their clans. Kunai were thrown to see how well the other could dodge.

A brief yet painful flurry of taijutsu proved that the Cloud-nin excelled in that aspect, but Shino managed to be slightly faster as he dodged a particularly nasty looking attack that would have lacerated his face.

He released his insects to do battle or use them as a distraction or shield to get in close and do damage before retreating a safe distance. The Cloud would perform a similar tactic using lighting and electricity based techniques that would light up the sides of the arena and obscure every ones view of the field. An impressive display of power that had me worried. This was a strong ninja just as motivated as any Chunin who had come this far. To shine in front of their village and Hokage. To prove just how much they were worth. To win. And to kill if necessary.

They collided in a spark of metal against metal. The beautifully glinting Kumo sword ground against the tried and true kunai blade of the Leaf, then dart away again. Over and over challenging limitations. This was the long stretch and I could feel Kiba fidget in irritation next to me.

"C'mon bug boy, don't let this cloud bastard do you in." He said that to himself before leaning forward again to shout. "Dammit Shino I would have taken this guy down twenty minutes ago. Stop with this spectator shit, get your act together and floor the bastard!" His words echoed in my ears and while I would have phrased that one hundred times less rudely my emotions were in sync with Kiba's. I didn't know how much longer I could watch this. I wanted the match to end, and soon.

Time seemed to slow for us under the massing clouds above. When the first roll of thunder drummed the sky, that was when the Cloud-nin made his move. All that build up for a particularly frightful yet brief end would have seemed like a bit of an anti climax to those who didn't have respect for strategy or only wanted a show and nothing else. If I didn't know my team mate so well even I wouldn't have understood what I had seen that day.

In the tradition of Kumogakure's legendary skill the sword turned into a channel for the Cloud-nin's lightning release technique. Spars of electricity filled the air, crackling and almost singing victory for the shinobi as he rushed forward, leaping into the air and bringing his sword down for all he was worth towards Shino.

I hadn't realized I was screaming until the dust settled down. The Cloud-nin was aiming to kill. _Dodge Shino! Dodge it!_ But he didn't. Instead he raised his arm high the tips of his fingers pointing upwards at his assailant's torso. Then I heard him shout.

"Insect Chakra Reversal Technique! Release!" Then the Cloud-nin's body twisted in mid air, his back arching in a way that it shouldn't have as a sharp scream of pain tore from his lungs. The lighting left the blade and had instead surrounded him as if wanting to consume everything. Shino couldn't move in time and his opponent crashed down sword and all. The force of impact and momentum still left in the attack brought them both tumbling across the court for several yards, extinguishing the lightning and the screams at once. Then silence. Both lay still. We waited for Shino to shake the extra weight off and stand up.

The storm gale was picking up, whipping dust around the arena and obscuring our view. Stillness and silence.

…

"**Shino!**"

Both Kiba and I were over the balcony railing before the proctor of the match could make his way out to see who had survived. He couldn't have stopped us even if he tried.

"Shino! Get up!" Kiba had skid to the side of the two fallen combatants and knelt down, his brow creased with worry. Akamaru paced in a tight circle around the two ninja, his head tilted to the side as if confused about something. I was just behind him but it wasn't until I was close enough to notice the sword embedded deep into my friend's chest.

Any words I had inside me at that moment threatened to choke me, reverting my speech back to a shocked stutter. "Sh-Sh-Shino!"

Then I felt the hand of the proctor on my shoulder gently trying to pull me away. All of this happened in a matter of seconds and then Shino's body dissolved into hundreds of buzzing kikaichu.

"Uh...what?" I heard Kiba's confused mutter as the insects brushed past his nose and flitted calmly past my ears. Akamaru barked once, tail wagging as we all turned to follow with our eyes, over the field towards the small clump of trees and bushes that served as the only layer of cover in the arena.

The real Shino shifted into view as his bugs reclaimed their space inside his chakra veins. The air filled with the feverish buzz of the crowd at the new revelation. The Aburame tricked the Cloud-nin with an insect clone, turned his own jutsu against him, and nobody had seen a thing! What a display! Shino fully emerged from the trees and turned to face us. On one finger perched one of his kikaichu which he examined thoughtfully.

"Hmmm. It looks like my time training with Kakashi-sensei really paid off. I had a feeling this shinobi's flashier lightning jutsu would be his eventual down fall." We stood still, completely dumbfounded until the proctor coughed to get our attention.

"I suggest the two of you stand aside before you get your friend disqualified." He sounded deadpan and dead serious. We immediately took the hint and pressed ourselves against farthest wall as he knelt down to check the fallen ninja's pulse.

"He's still breathing. But he ain't getting up anytime soon. Alright then!"

He stood tall and shouted to the rafters. The crowd's voice swelled in anticipation of his judgment.

"The match has been decided. Godo Yuudai is no longer able to continue this match. Winner by a knock out, Aburame Shino!" Then the stadium exploded in rocketed cheers as we gleefully ran towards our teammate.

Kiba nearly side tackled Shino off his feet in excitement. "Hell yeah you did it, Shino! You creepy bug bastard I knew you would." I smiled. Months ago he had been brazen with jealousy at Shino's appointment for Jounin examination. But here he was grinning from ear to ear with a strong arm wrapped around Shino's shoulders that, with his slight height advantage, caused him to sag a little. But the bug-nin didn't encourage or dissuade, which was probably a good thing. Considering their track record of friendly gestures toward each other since...well..the day we became Team 8, this was a beautiful scene.

"Congratulations." I should have spoken louder since I was sure my voice was muted by the crowd and the rain. But Shino gave a thankful nod. I couldn't have felt happier for him.

* * *

A/N: And there you have chapter 1, folks. Check back soon for updates. Until then reviews are welcome. Thankyou for Reading!

This is my first time writing in the first person perspective. It's an experiment and I do hope I can keep everybody in character. You know the drill. These characters belong to Kishimoto and I'm broke as a joke! Please enjoy!


	2. Hinata's Dilemma

**Chapter 2 : **Hinata's Dilemma

**

* * *

**

"Come at me again!"

The wind whistled in my ears as I landed on the grass with a slight unsteadiness, but immediately found my footing when Kiba's Piercing Fang split a whole tree down the middle where I had stood moments ago, changing trajectory mid attack to find me again.

Even in his blinding spin he could always find his prey by scent. The strength of his attack creating its own miniature vortex in the tree tops. Ripping whole branches away from their trunks and hurling them above the canopy in a violent show that told everyone that getting hit by this would _hurt_. I noted how during our time in training he was managing to locate his target with quicker and deadlier accuracy. Spending less time in a wild peel out as he turned.

In fact now he could practically change direction on a dime. And this was no different. Even though I had trained myself to dodge and dodge well, standing right in front of a Piercing Fang was always a vexing moment, at least for me. It was never a pleasant experience to get hit even when he wasn't moving at full force.

I blinked. Thirty feet. My Byakugan blazed taking in the blurring network of chakra and breaking it down to something I could work with. _Find his center._

Twenty feet. _Pull chakra into your index, middle, and ring finger. Not too much, just enough._

Ten feet. _Then at that last possible second... _My arm muscles bunched together like a coil, my feet turning to stone to hold myself in place even as Kiba's force buffeted against me like a cyclone. I breathed out a low Kiai, threw my weight into my left arm, and shot it forward like a spring.

It ended quite literally in the blink of an eye. Kiba's attack was scratching the fabric of my coat before my strike found the nerves just above his shoulder joint. In a powerful release of wind and chakra we both shot away from each other like bullets. I tried to hold back a scream but it tumbled out of my mouth anyway as I sailed a good distance, crashing into a pile. I must have rolled for a few yards because by the time I stopped moving the world was still spinning. Then I heard the loud crack of wood splitting and a surprised yet pained yelp from Kiba reached my ear. I wanted to get up but my body was too stunned to move, the muscles in my left arm twitched involuntarily in mad dissent of my actions.

I hadn't meant to hurt him. My Jyuken successfully canceled his attack but I had taken too long to react. The resulting collision of our chakra wasn't a healthy mix it seemed.

"Hinata! Kiba!" Two sets of hurried footsteps coming our way. I groaned and tried to lift my face out of the dirt. For a moment seeing red. How badly had I injured myself?

"Hinata!" Sakura's voice. Black boots stepped into my view as she knelt down beside me, trying to help me into a sitting position. Ouch. Everything was still spinning.

"Don't worry, Shino I've got her. Go check on Kiba."

Ow ow ow. Please stop this rock slide going off in my brain. My vision sort of slipped away from the retreating form of Shino, along with my mind to more light hearted things. Now I was looking up at the soft blue sky over head and somewhere off in the distance I could hear crows cawing. It always sounded like they were laughing about something...what was so funny?

"-nata...Hinata can you hear me? Hinata." One of Sakura's arms held my back and hoisted me up so that I was looking into her sea green eyes. Her pink eye brows etched concern across her features. Or at least that was what I could discern when my eyes finally uncrossed. She spoke to me again with an earnest whisper in her efforts to get a response.

"Hinata say something. Please."

I think I giggled. "The crows think I'm funny."

"What was that?"

I giggled again.

Sakura sighed and gently placed her hand on my forehead. Concentrated healing energy soothed the pulsing discomfort in my forehead and I felt myself thinking clearly again. I looked up at Sakura with a weary smile.

"Th-thank you, Sakura."

"Don't worry about it." She said. I finally regained the strength to sit up on my own.

"That was an intense show you gave us." she said with a light chuckle in her voice.

"Mmm, I think I might have over done it this time."

"Well-"

"Ow! Damnit, Shino I told you not to touch that!"

"I'm checking to see if its broken."

"I'll break it off where the sun doesn't shine if you don't back off, bug boy."

Sakura held back a laugh. "Well maybe a _little_." She pulled out a cloth and handed it to me. "Here, clean your face with this."

A short time after Shino walked over to us. "Is Hinata alright?"

"Yes she's fine. Though she got a nasty cut on her forehead. She'll be fine now."

"Well that's good. Though now I think both of my team mates are no longer able to train for today-"

"Hey!"

Shino tilted his head slightly back in Kiba's direction who was using Akamaru as a light crutch to hobble away from what remained of the unfortunate tree. I believe, the third one to meet its end during our session.

"You don't have to baby me, Shino. I can keep going."

"I can keep going to!" I shouted automatically gaining looks from everyone. Shino lowered his head.

"Can you stand?" I put my palms against the ground to brace myself. "Sure."

Unfortunately I only made it half way before the world started to whirl again. I braced myself for another fall but instead felt two sets of hands holding me up.

"Hinata, I don't think..." Sakura began with hesitation. Kiba and Akamaru were standing behind Shino now, looking concerned.

"You'll sit out from training for today."

"B-but...Shino."

"No arguments, Hinata. You've trained hard but you need to rest."

I knew I couldn't persuade any of them so I let Sakura guide me towards my supply bag against a large oak tree. She asked if she could walk me home but I declined, thanking her again for helping me earlier.

"It's no problem." She smiled and went to rejoin my team in their sparring.

There were times where I wanted to tell them why I was always the first person at the training grounds and always the last person to leave. Why I would ask to spar more intensely or wheeze out that I wasn't ready to concede defeat for the fourth time even after I had hit the ground the last three times. I wanted to tell them that I was scared. But I didn't want them to _know_ I was scared, so I kept my worries deep inside myself. Maybe I was ashamed or maybe I had convinced myself it was a matter of clan honor. I couldn't fully tell which. All I know is, most of all, I didn't want to see pity reflecting in their eyes if I lost.

* * *

Sakura returned to the center of the training area where Shino and Kiba were waiting.

"She's sitting over by the oak tree. But said she wasn't ready to go home yet."

The way Kiba groaned caught Sakura's attention. Maybe this was a recurring situation. Normally she would consider it none of her business. But she was a medical ninja. She remembered how Hinata's moon white skin had looked paler than usual under her healing jutsu. And she looked depressingly weary when she had left her by the tree. Almost sickly. Sincere concern nagged her to ask.

"You guys...if you don't mind me asking about Hinata." She pursed her lips. " I feel a bit worried about her and wanted to know if there was anything wrong."

"Well she's been training hard. Damn Hard," Kiba answered roughly, looking down at his dog. "Too hard."

"Ever since Naruto left the village, Hinata has sworn to train more diligently than before." Shino elaborated. "And she's improved considerably in a relatively short span of time. But..."

"But?"

He continued. "It wasn't until recently that she's begun to over exert herself. Her body can only take so much. The same can be said for all of us. But every day she reaches her limit and then collapses in exhaustion."

"I've had to walk her to the hospital a few times." Kiba said. "I remember once I even had to carry her. She won't listen to us when we tell her to ease off."

Sakura's eyes widened. "So you think she's pushing herself because of Naruto?"

"At first this was what we believed. Why? Well she does seem to harbor a certain fondness for Naruto," The slight tinge of apprehension in Shino's voice caught Sakura's attention. Making her uneasy.

"But I'm beginning to feel this isn't the case."

"What do you mean, Shino?" Sakura frowned hoping they were out of ear shot.

"I mean I sense a desperation to her movements. Every punch, every kick, and every time she practices her Gentle Fist. I think she's forcing herself to such extremities for the wrong reason."

"Yeah this isn't your Rock Lee kind of intense we're talking about. And to be frank she's starting to scare us."

"Then what could it be? What could be going on that would cause Hinata to be like this?" Sakura asked with a foreboding feeling growing in her chest. Kiba didn't answer, his face set in a frown, his eyes tracking back to Hinata. Akamaru whimpered and Shino let out a low almost self defeated sigh.

"She refuses to tell us anything."

* * *

"In two months the bearer of the cage seal will be decided."

My insides lurched as I knelt prostrate before my father in his study. Though I managed to hold a placid expression, my eyes darted over to Hanabi despite myself. What she could have possibly been thinking at that moment I might never know.

"Father." I heard her small voice peep inquiry when we allowed ourselves to rise and face our sire. "How will this be decided?" A pause.

Our father didn't answer right away. He closed his eyes as if searching for the right words inside himself. The best way to answer his daughter's honest question. An honest answer seemed to be the only solution.

"In our tradition the second and subsequent children born of the clan leader must bear the cage seal to protect our bloodline. I've staved off this event for quiet some time now because I was not confident in Hinata's abilities as a member of the Main House or as future heir to the Hyuga."

He said these words knowing I would not let them affect me. I was fragile in a lot of ways but I was learning to not shy away from the truth. So I didn't look away or feel shame when he said this. He's said worse things about me.

"Both of you show improvement and promise in your abilities but our rules are absolute. The problem arose when I didn't take action immediately and now the elders want to observe your skills themselves."

My blood ran cold just then. I didn't like where this was going. I felt the air leaving the room before he even finished his last statement.

"In respect to this, I've given you both two months to prepare. After that time, you will face each other as a final assessment of your skills. Only the victor will remain in the Main House." The honest answer also felt horrifically empty.

Hanabi bowed and left the room. She said nothing to me that day. Or the day after. Or the day after that. Sometimes I would see her training in one of our many dojos as I walked across the courtyard. And if I didn't see her on the compound I assumed she was in the surrounding forest area training harder still.

Even though she was only ten, Hanabi had already been placed with a genin team. Though she outclassed them in skill, she treasured them as friends. Possibly the only friends she would have for a long time because of who we were and what was expected of us. I remember often seeing them training together in the forest surrounding our home. But now the forest was devoid of laughter.

It was was like they never existed.

A rush of guilt washed over me when I realized what this could mean. It was possible that under the stress of this new development, Hanabi may had pushed them away because they were not skilled enough to help her improve. Or worse yet. Father or a clan elder was meddling in her affairs and making demands that she be put on a more advanced team, possibly chunin.

Either way it meant that right now she was alone and I wasn't. I still had my team. Maybe that was why I could never tell Shino or Kiba what was happening. I didn't want their support. How could I? I didn't want the cage seal but I didn't want my sister to suffer either. No matter what it would end badly for me.

One time after a particularly harsh night, my entire body was stiff and all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep forever.

I stepped into my room and saw Hanabi there waiting for me. When our eyes met my body froze in the doorway, my mind trying to assess this. There weren't too many reasons Hanabi would wait for me in my room this late at night, or at this point, morning, except for the one most obvious. She stood as soon as she saw me and I noted how her eyes glinted up and down before resting firmly on my face, her mouth set in a hard line.

Once again my mind went wild with ideas of what she could have been thinking. Her face wasn't giving much away as I'm sure she intended. I swallowed and finally entered my room. "Hanabi, is there something you wanted?"

"I won't lose to you." Her hard words stepped on the tail end of my sentence and smashed it leaving me with a stutter.

"H-Hanabi?"

"I said I won't lose to you, Hinata.I will not move to the Branch House." She spoke evenly and with confidence. Her shoulders were square and her head was held high. Not in challenge but to show that she lacked my meekness. And that she had the advantage. "I'm giving it my all. It's the best I can do for myself and this clan."

My eyes softened but my heart felt bruised. "I don't expect any less of you, sister." She relaxed a little but she still looked tense as she looked away. Maybe she had more words but didn't know how to say them. I held my hand out to her in a gesture of comfort.

"Hanabi it'll be alright. No matter what happens we don't have to be enemies."

"Like hell we don't!" Again her words crashed down on top of mine and I stopped with my arm still uselessly held out towards her.

"Don't you get it! Things are changing and we can't be the way we used to anymore." I pulled my arm back and looked down at my sandles. I knew what she meant but I didn't want to believe her. I didn't want to believe that I would have to be pitted against my own sister over the fate of our future.

"Whether you like it or not one of us is going to be leader of the Hyuuga one day. And whoever is chosen has to be strong."

"But why do we have to fight _each other_, Hanabi? There must be another way. I don't want to fight you."

"And that's just your problem, Hinata! You always hang your head low and act like you have the worst life, when I've had to suffer just as much as you because you can never stand up for yourself!"

"What do you mean?"

"Ringo and Chihiro. I've lost them because of you!"Her voice scratched as it rose and tears ran freely down her cheeks. When she roughly brushed them away the stream renewed itself. Crying was something Hanabi just didn't do. Be it her character or the roll she had been chosen to fill. I had never seen her cry. And I was shocked into silence, feeling nothing but dread and guilt as she continued her outburst.

"Father 's sparring sessions with me are getting harder and his demands more intense than before. Haven't you been listening? Apparently we're on the brink of war and there's the possibility that he might fall in battle." She gasped to catch her breath and her words shook from her tears. But I listened steadily.

"They work me to the bone. Till I have nothing left to give and then they hoist me up by my shirt and tell me I have no choice but to keep training because my sister is a failure and a reject. I have to carry the weight for the both of us because father and the elders have given up on you, Hinata. This contest between us is only a formality!"

I truly had no words. I just stood there blinking like an idiot as all of this absorbed into me like a sponge. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. And I hated myself more for that.

"My team mates, Chihiro and Ringo. They were m...they were my friends, Hinata. Father and the elders took them away from me." Her voice broke and her tears flowed with new vigor. I didn't know how much longer I could fight back the urge to hold her even though I knew she wouldn't accept it.

"Th-they were my friends. But they aren't as good as me... So father said I have to get a new team. A stronger team to develop my skills. B-because..."

"Weak team mates would only hold you back..." I whispered nearly automatically to myself more than anything. Memories firing inside my head in rapid succession.

_Don't slow down your team, Hinata._

_Hinata, try not to be a burden if you can help it._

_The reason your team failed the mission is because you could not act competently when it mattered most. I'm disappointed._

_Y-y-yes father. I'll do better next time, father. Please forgive me._

I forced myself out of that unfortunate reverie and the disproving face of my father was replaced by the red nosed tear stained face of my poor sister. I realized there how wide the gap between us had grown in a matter of a few minutes and that at that moment I could think of nothing to pull her back to me.

We had never been that close and in a way I always knew why. I _knew _they'd over look me because of my weakness. But I didn't try hard enough to get stronger. Of course the matter wouldn't be ignored, my clan needed a successor so like vultures they pounced on my barely ten year old sister.

Self revulsion. A familiar feeling to me but now it had a new tinge of darkness about it. It filled me and opened my eyes.

Hinata you wretch, what have you done.


	3. The Face Off

**Chapter 3 : **The Face Off

* * *

The weeks went by faster than I expected. I woke up to a cool morning and went through the halls of the mansion when few other souls were stirring. Yawning and shuffling for the bathroom with gross sleepcrusted eyes, today was just any other day.

After cleaning up I strolled across the grounds, enjoying that eerie golden hour when everything appears to have a soft bloomy haze around the edges. Probably my favorite time of day, the sky made everything look beautiful. By the time I returned everyone was awake. The golden blue sky faded leaving my troubles to resurface in my mind. Tried to ignore, it but that was as plausible as trying to ignore a sprained ankle.

For some reason the thought of taking breakfast to the main dining hall, where the elders met, repelled me. And the idea of meeting either father or Hanabi, who I was sure would be there, didn't sit well with me either. I managed some small conversation before snagging enough food and slinking back to my room with all the stealth I could muster, though I didn't need much. A Hinata can blend into almost any back drop and not be seen or heard. Today I liked this.

After eating, I prayed. I don't know to what or to who. Was there a god of swift miracle workers? A god of the hapless and ill-fated who waved a magic wand and made all the bad things leave? All the unwanted events erased from history? If so, then I prayed fervently to him or her or it. But I knew the forthcoming would never be ignored. And if such a god existed, why would he come to me? Hanabi's words of suffering blazed inside me again. I got up and paced around my little room. _Hinata, stop being so selfish!_

Though maybe I wasn't praying. Maybe I was just talking to myself. Trying to rationalize to somebody or anybody who'd have the patience to listen. By now it was down to the wire. I wouldn't be able to find Kiba or Shino or Kurenai-sensei before the match began. And my refusal to seek confidence with them had returned to bite me. Hard.

Then everyone filed into the dojo where the match would take place. I changed into my gi. (traditional black, nothing special) My sister and I walked together to the center of the room, the first time I'd seen her all morning. Once again I couldn't read her face. Frustrating.

The elders of the Main House sat on the right, and the Branch members on the left. Neji was one of them. It seemed like the entire clan was there, save of course, the ones who were off on missions at the time.

It didn't start immediately. Of course a small ceremony had to be performed, not that I could pay attention. I was suffering the most bizarre push and pull of emotions. I wanted to wait. Wait forever. In fact, if I had my way, this day would never come. At the same time I wanted it to end quickly. Or just start because I knew this was inevitable. And these were just my surface emotions. My darker emotions, anxiety, fear, tenseness...and whenever I let my eyes rest on Hanabi for too long, an even deeper, more complex feeling that I couldn't sort out in the time allotted...But I had to bear it.

Normally when I dread something, time slows to a crawl chewing relentlessly at my insides. The wait turns my nerves into a puddle of goo, leaving me sad and unable to defend myself. But here, even to my surprise, I was stable. The strange thing is I wasn't sure _why_. I was pretty sure it wasn't due to the extra training. That would be too simple. Maybe I was slowly acquiring nerves of iron? Or maybe it was just resignation. Yes, that sounds more like me.

"Hinata Hyuuga, Hanabi Hyuuga. You both understand why you are here today." When our father spoke, his voice as deep and clear as ever, I detected a rougher edge to his tone than usual. But why? He watched me and my sister fight countless times in the past. This would be no different. Or maybe it was because this would be the final time.

"You have been called here by myself and the Elders of the Hyuuga clan to present your skills in the Art of Gentle Fist." His voice echoed just a little bit off the dark walls. All eyes on me and my sister. The heaviness of their judgmental stares surprised me. I wondered if she felt even a little unnerved.

"This will act as a final test of your abilities against one another and the deciding point over who will be the future leader of this clan. You stand here in honor of our ancestors who fought and lost their lives years ago to protect Konoha and the people within in it. The magnitude of a shinobi's responsibility demands only the best and the Hyuuga can ask for no less of our leader. You both contain this knowledge. But this final bout is a test of strength.

"The only rule, the last shinobi to remain standing is the victor. My daughters, you may begin."

His last words caught me off guard. And in a strange way they worked as a salve. Pulling me somewhat out of my unease and grounding me back into who I was. I, Hinata Hyuuga, am Shinobi. And the importance of my duties demand the best. I will give my best here, for the people I am bound to protect deserve it.

We bowed to each other and dropped into our initial stance. I activated my Byakugan, feeling the chakra rush and settle somewhere behind my eyes. The world around me became bereft of color, save for the glitter of blue chakra that coursed through the veins of everyone inside the room. I let my vision rest on my sister, who I noticed, to my surprise, had decided to leave her doujutsu inactivated, speaking volumes to me and everyone around us. This was going to be a quick match that she could win without Byakugan. And I in turn only looked weaker for activating it at the very start of the match.

Inside, a part of me seethed at this. I know Hanabi said she wouldn't lose to me but I hated to think that she saw me in such a pathetic light. I took this sudden upsurge of emotion and tucked it deep inside myself. I'd use it as fuel for this duel. But I knew I couldn't feel true anger. Not when I looked at my sister. Her body lithe and full of energy, making me feel lumpy and slow. You think I like my bust size? On the contrary. When it comes to ninja work, larger breasts are more of a bother than they're worth. Even with extra support and bindings, they get in the way, or otherwise feel inconvenient.

Hanabi's small body was tense and ready to spring at any second. Her face framed delicately by long brown hair, her eyes bright with determination and brilliance.

Had my eyes ever shone like that? With complete confidence? When I thought back, did I ever stand tall and unmoving like my teammate Shino? Would I ever be like Kiba and Akamaru, two halves of a team made of undying reliability and trust? Would anyone ever trust me that way? And of course like a rive, my thoughts drifted to Naruto, who encouraged me in my darkest hour and pushed me in the right direction. I owed a lot to him. But I swear, even if he were sitting in this very room, he wouldn't be able to quell the multitude of emotions roiling within me.

Then I began to think. Do I really stand a chance? _No, Hinata. No time to doubt. Doubt kills shinobi and this isn't something you can take lightly. If you go down here it will be like you've really died._ But I thought this knowing full well that it was the same for my sister if she lost.

Even though no one spoke, the air grew heavy with the static of anticipation. Who would make the first move? That was answered quickly when Hanabi launched herself forward with a high kick. Very direct, the contact was fast and stung like a whip, but I deflected it. I leapt away when Hanabi landed, her sweeping kick hitting only air. My longer legs gave me better reach but Hanabi wouldn't let herself be tripped so easily. With a back flip she was up again, her palms ready in the style of Gentle Fist. I quickly followed suit. This was it.  
_  
This was it..._

All or nothing!

* * *

From where Neji sat across from the gray clad elders, no one spoke. No one coughed or shifted in their seat, no one made hushed bets with their companions over who would win. It felt like nobody was breathing. It was as if the two young women on the floor were performing a dance before a congregation of ancient statues. He heard their bodies collide. Hanabi's fierce palm strikes smashing against Hinata's upper arms as she protected her vitals from the onslaught. Even when Hanabi put more weight into her blows, adding in kicks and other forms of taijutsu, Hinata managed to hold her ground admirably. But Neji knew she wouldn't be able to hold out for long. Something needed to happen. And Hanabi, if given the opportunity, would find a way to break her big sister's defenses.

Just as this thought left Neji's mind Hanabi back-flipped, hooking her foot under Hinata's upper arm. She used momentum to break her stance and sent her tumbling forward. Before Hinata could regain balance, Hanabi's palms were rocketing forward at blurring speed. Base reflex was the only thing that saved Hinata from a full-frontal assault but Neji could see the tiniest flinch from Hinata, showing she did indeed feel the burning chakra. Hanabi had been aiming for her shoulder in order to render her right arm useless. But she had missed and it was Hinata's turn to move on the offense.

She didn't give Hanabi the chance to re-configure after her attack. She was wide open when Hinata shot her arm forward, palm open and searching for a tenketsu point. Hanabi was swift and turned away, but had to pitch violently again to avoid the second hand. When Hinata struck, she twisted, when Hinata swung, she dove.

With her smaller frame, Hanabi had an advantage, the millisecond it took Hinata to finish a move and draw her arms back, Hanabi ducked under an attack, letting it sail overhead. Then she rose again, practically inside Hinata's attack range. And she was ready.

Neji and a few others visibly flinched at the crunching sound of bone when Hanabi's open palm smacked against Hinata's chin, sending her half way across the dojo. He heard more of a muffled grunt of surprise, rather than a cry of pain. This may have been the case, because she landed neatly on bent legs. Not even a stumble. There was a time when Hinata couldn't get up from such a blow, let alone land on her feet. But before that could leave a lasting impression on Hiashi and the others, Hanabi covered the ground in what seemed like no time. Hinata may have landed upright, but she was dazed, arms splayed to the side for balance. Hanabi zeroed in, planning on a more crucial blow. Once again, reflexes won out. Without resorting to back-pedaling, Hinata twisted on her heel, swung to the side, and tried to kick Hanabi's feet out from under her. But Hanabi was faster, evaded the kick, and her chakra sunk deep into Hinata's arm.

That was when Neji first heard Hinata cry out in anguish. A tenketsu point was either grazed or extinguished, but either way, the force of Hanabi's chakra entering her body brought pain. The entire time, both opponents had been deflecting blows, but now it looked like things were about to get serious. Hinata stumbled back (continuing to deflect blows) but Hanabi forced another opening and sent Hinata sliding backwards across the wood grain floor. Not as far, but this time Hinata's landing was less graceful. She skid to a stop with her back facing Hanabi, who again charged with chakra-infused fingertips.

Neji didn't want to admit that he was sure it was about to end there, but when he blinked, the tables had turned once again. Hinata jumped up at the last possible second, landing behind her sister, palm extended. Hanabi was thrown forward several yards. She tumbled like a rag doll and didn't stop until her back struck the dojo wall. A thin wave of gasps rose from the spectators. Probably the first sign that any of them were alive. Neji's eyes flicked to Hiashi to gauge his reaction. It was still set in stone. Of course.

Hanabi's recovery took a while. Eyes squeezed tight, she let out a few harsh pants through her flared nostrils, exhaling one final time as she began to push herself off the floor. She managed to remain steady and finally stood upright. Hinata was waiting on the other end of the room, crouched down and focused, breathing evenly with a hard look on her face. _Hinata won't go easy on her._ Neji thought, watching the two sisters stare each other down from opposite ends of the dojo. _And Hanabi looks about ready to rip her to shreds..._

_

* * *

_And that is chapter 3. How do you grade my ability to describe a fight? I don't do these often but I hope it flows well. Do you like? Do you not like? Either way please leave a review telling me what you think!_  
_


	4. Unsettling Discovery

Shino counted as the minutes stretched quietly forward before his insects returned to him in the dying light of sunset with what he hoped would be applicable information. Most of the insects took their place back inside his body save one, which perched lightly on his index finger and relayed the message of its findings.

"I see. Interesting."

"Shino, did you get anything?" Anko Mitarashi swung up to the higher branch of the tree where the young Aburame stood, looking down into the partially flooded slate quarry which sat on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Valleys. A deep clear cut hole in the ground with layered walls that acted almost like gigantic steps curved in near the bottom forming a bowl shape similar to that of a stadium. It measured nearly forty feet deep and fifty feet wide created by some strange occurrence or another. No recorded history said that it was man made. A small village legend told that it used to be the sleeping den of a large demon.

Several generations ago it was mined for minerals and building material by both the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Grass villages with no conflict between the two. Then one day Orochimaru took residence inside. Filling the place with his malice and evil. Fixing the surrounding area with curses that put up a veil, practically masking the place from memory. It wasn't until recently when ninja from the Hidden Grass accidentally stumbled upon the place that anyone could recall it's existence. A quick preliminary examination showed that it was one of Orochimaru's old haunts but had been left abandoned several months prior causing the veil curses to dissipate over time and allow it to be rediscovered by the outside world.

Though it was abandoned a thorough search of the mine's dark insides was mandatory. Orochimaru was still a heavily wanted criminal and any clues leading to his current whereabouts could not be over looked.

Shino started to talk slowly in his usual hushed tone. "The veil surrounding this quarry must have been incredibly strong considering the size alone. By my estimate, the full circumference of the barrier was at least five kilometers. That includes the forest area, making sure no one could notice anything by accident. It would need to be maintained constantly." Shino reclaimed his final insect and continued to glance down into the low rocky area with his own eyes. "He wanted this place to have a wide berth."

"That makes sense given the location" Anko mulled to herself then said. "He had to worry about discovery by two villages at once. But I'm not seeing any way inside."

"That's because the entrance is underwater." A third ninja, Tokuma Hyuga, appeared at the base of the tree. He had been closer to the center of the abandoned mine scanning the waterline. "The only other pathway I found is blocked completely with probably thousands of pounds of rock. It'd be impossible for just the three of us to move it."

"So our only choice is down there, huh?" asked Anko, looking down into the murky pool.

"That seems to be the case. We'll have to swim down but it won't be too far, the water line is only a couple of feet above the top of the entrance. Just beyond there is a small pocket of air, then a tunnel." Anko and Shino jumped down to stand next to the Hyuga. "After that we'll surface in to a large chamber."

"Looks like swimming is our only choice." stated Anko.

Shino nodded once. "Swim it is."

When the three ninja finally surfaced inside the large chamber they were greeted with near total darkness. Not enough natural light seeped in to rely on normal eye sight, leaving Tokuma to guide Shino and Anko to solid ground.

"Everything's clear from what I can see." the Hyuga confirmed stepping off the surface of the water and onto the cave floor. Anko summoned a flare into existence and set it alight giving everyone a clearer view as deep orange light bounced and played off the surrounding stone walls and high ceiling.

"Well we're in a cave." said Anko, sarcastically promoting the obvious. "But I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

"We'll have to go farther in." said Tokuma taking a few steps to the back of the cave still dark and untouched by the flickering flare light. "Remember this used to be a mine. There are several tunnels that could run for miles. The further we go in the more we will find."

"Of course." said Anko,"Making sure we're on the same page. We're looking for anything that may tell us where Orochimaru's current base of operations may be and remains that could help us figure out what his next plans are."

So the three ninja began to explore the dark passages laid out before them. The obvious course of action was to split off and cover more ground. At the first divergence, Anko decided on the right tunnel alone with one of Shino's bugs sitting on her shoulder to act as a separate pair of eyes and ears that he could tap into at will. Shino and Tokuma of course, took the left tunnel. Any further branch offs would be searched via clones.

They all practiced heavy caution as they searched the mine. Now that Orochimaru had fled the area, taking anything he considered valuable with him, all that remained was an enormous labyrinth of passages, caverns and crumbling tunnels that looked ready to collapse at the slightest disturbance. There was also the risk that, in the absence of its previous owner, something potentially deadly could have taken up residence in the darkness.

Eventually Shino and Tokuma entered the parts of the caverns that seemed more uniformed, smooth, and man-made. Intricate and swaying designs decorating the walls and columns supporting the ceiling . But this was to be expected. Orochimaru's personal touch added to even temporary dwellings. This being the first time either ninja had been inside of such a place, they both agreed not a single aesthetic could be considered homely. If nothing else it only compounded the eerie feeling pricking the back of their necks.

"Do you see anything that could be significant?" asked Shino who was proactively using his bugs to scout a head or fly into alternate tunnels in search of anything unusual.

"No, nothing yet. What I can see are plenty of empty holding cells and living quarters. Strange, not even a single corpse. I guess Orchimaru had more time to pack up his things. But I'm told failed experiments are nothing but garbage to him."

At this point the place seemed stark and completely abandoned, just before they reached the end of another corridor both Shino and Tokuma noticed something ahead of them.

"No, that can't be." Tokuma muttered to himself. "I sense no lingering chakra and yet," he scowled as they both crept closer to the center of a large chamber. The darkness had lessened under the flickering glow of a single burning torch hanging from the far wall giving light to a small blood saturated gurney and what lay upon it.

Tokuma took a step back in shock but kept his voice as level as he could. "Shino, I think you'd better contact Anko and get her here. Quickly."

* * *

I could just vaguely keep track of time as it sailed by in a haze. Everything blinked past my eyes in flashes, coming in and leaving me before I had a chance to make sense of it. I knew I was laying on something flat yet soft, a futon maybe. The bedding felt warm and familiar but the flashes in my eyes were blinding and irritating. And that was along with the dryness in my throat and the pulsing in my skull, but my eyes couldn't help but flinch in synch with the dot of light. Forcing my eyes shut I tried to cut the light out but I could still see it behind closed eye lids. I tilted my head to try and avoid it and ease the burning sensation on my retinas but the comforting darkness was gone and I knew I was surrounded by white.

"She's starting to wake up." I heard a voice hovering some were close above me, urging me to take another chance at opening my eyes and letting them be assaulted by the white blindness. To my relief it was gone as I turned to look, my blurry vision struggled for focus as two solid forms dominated my view.

"Lady Hinata. Can you hear me?" I mumbled something incoherent, reaching a hand up to try and touch whomever was talking to me. I knew they were both Hyuga at least.

"She should be fine. Neji, please go and find Lord Hiashi for me. I'm sure he wants to see her."

I was able to watch Neji leave the room, leaving me with the other, Nobuo Hyuga, who was our clan's head medic. An aged man with a wise face pinched with wrinkles, and long graying hair tied back in a loose pony tail. Turning off his pen light, he smiled coyly at me as he offered me his hand. "Do you feel level headed enough to sit upright?" With a groan I managed to take his hand as he hoisted me up to a sitting position. I managed to situate myself against the wall nearest me to let the brief dizzy spell pass over.

"I'm glad that you're awake, you were unconscious for nearly a full day."

A day? Well all things considered, I have been rendered unconscious for nearly three times that span at least twice in my life so this wasn't as bad. But then I remembered what put me in our clans infirmary the first place and my spirit gradually began to sink.

Nobuo took a canteen gave it to me. "Here, drink this, I'm sure your throat is dry as a bone." I gratefully took the canteen, taking a huge swallow only to gag immediately after wards. It had to be the most bitter stuff I'd ever tasted. But I had to admit I did feel better.

Before I knew it, father stepped into the room with Neji standing close behind him. On the inside my blood ran cold as ice. I knew the only reason I was here was because I had failed my final test. I had lost to Hanabi. The look on my father's face sealed that fact.

I was surprised that he hadn't scolded me right then and there. Or voice his disappointment. He towered above me, pinning me with his stern glare. The look that always threatened to drown me in my own self pity. Yet at the same time goad me into some kind of action. Without really thinking about it, I tried to move, forgetting how painfully sore my body still was.

Nobuo was there to hold me up when my body lurched involuntarily backwards, all my muscles locking up and rendering me immobile but full of pain. "You shouldn't move too much child, you've been through a lot." I bit my bottom lip to hold back a whimper I didn't dare utter with father in the same room. I still had to save face. Father examined me from his place by the infirmary entrance, letting me roast mercilessly under his gaze. I wanted to curl into a ball and disappear.

I needed to say something, but I didn't know what. The silence was palpable and heavy on my shoulders if I could just look him in the eye and say one word...

"It's been decided, Hinata. Hanabi is now firmly set as the future leader of our clan." I kept my head lowered as I set his words sink in.

"Your things will be moved to the Branch compound tonight while everyone is asleep. And you will be branded early the following morning. That is all I have to say." As he turned to leave, our clan medic spoke up cleanly and politely.

"My Lord, Hiashi. Her body is still in great pain... wouldn't it be better if we put off the branding ritual for at least another day?"

My father didn't bother to turn with his answer. "I would like to think she isn't that weak." Then he left, leaving even Neji, who watched him disappear down the corridor, at a complete loss for words. If I'm allowed to give myself any credit, I didn't break down right then. Maybe I was in shock, maybe I was too exhausted to cry. But my lack of response must have goaded my cousin to speak.

"I'll be next to you when they perform the ritual." I blinked myself out of my semi-trance and glanced up at him through my curtain of bedraggled hair. He looked sad although he was probably trying to give me some shred of comfort. "You won't have to be alone like I was."

I appreciated that more than he probably knew. "Thank you, Neji." I could only leak out a hoarse whisper. I sounded so bad I was glad I didn't open my mouth in front of father. And with that, Neji left, he had more important things to attend to. Then I cried, hoping Nobuo wouldn't take offense.

* * *

Neji ran from the infirmary as fast as he could . He found Hiashi in the large courtyard. He stood solemnly under a healthy sakura tree over looking a small shrine. Hiashi looked deep in thought, an almost remorseful expression brushing his profile. This forced Neji to hold his tongue and not shout outright in disrespect. Thankful for the brief moment to collect himself, Neji bowed in respect. "My lord."

It was enough to get Hiashi's attention who turned and faced the young jounin.

"Neji. You want to say something." It bothered Neji a little that Hiashi had phrased that sentence like a statement and not a question. It was common for him to do that, his way of saying 'whatever you have to say, I will listen, but don't at all expect me to change my mind.' Did Hiashi already know what he was going to say before he even said it?

_But I have to try, Neji thought._

"Yes, its about Hinata." He said solidly ready to plow forward with what could be considered a very stupid suggestion by most of the Main house. "You have to reconsider your decision to place Hinata in the Branch house." Hiashi didn't look amused. The crease between his eyebrows grew more pronounced.

"Lord Hiashi, I never took my eyes away from that fight. I saw how much Hinata has improved for the first time in a matter of months. It's astounding. With her skills she'd be a better asset to this clan if she remained in the Main house."

A breeze gusted past them both, gently ruffling their robes and hair. Giving Neji time to roast under his patriarch's silence. Though he didn't show any signs of backing down, Neji looked Hiashi dead in the eye to show how serious he was.

It was Hiashi who broke eye contact first. "It can't be done."

"Why? Why can't you at least reconsider? After all the harsh training from me, and you, and her sensei, not to mention the missions-"

"She lost her bout with Hanabi. The rules state that the defeated opponent must be placed in the Branch house."

Neji was quick on the rebound, not ready to give up. "You watched that fight, you saw what Hinata did. How can you condemn her for showing mercy?"

"She was in a duel."

"With her sister."

"With her opponent!" Hiashi flash of anger surprised Neji. The clan leader glared with frustration plain on his face, every muscle in his frame strained with tension.

"Hanabi was her opponent. In that duel she was nothing more or less and Hinata didn't have the _will_ to strike!" Neji could tell that he had accidentally hit a sore spot on his leader's nerves and could only remain silent.

"Hinata has improved. More than I'd dared hope but she lacks the drive to be anything but a servant. A subordinate. She cannot be a leader of this clan. Her meekness alone makes her unfit to be a ninja."

Neji responded quietly. "But she doesn't deserve the curse seal."

He wanted to rebel against Hiashi but at the back of his mind he knew the truth. Relations between shinobi villages were gradually loosing favor with one another. He remembered an elder once said he couldn't remember a single day of his long life when war didn't threaten the horizon.

"On the other hand, Hanabi showed the initiative to attack Hinata's weak points and that is how she won. She showed no hesitation or mercy." Hiashi sighed. "I thought you of all people would understand this. In the real world, our world, there is little room for kindness. Too much of it will turn back and attack you.

I know Hinata did what she did to spare her younger sister the cursed seal but at the same time was resigning her own future. Hanabi was willing to fight for what she wanted and the laws are absolute. Had Hanabi lost then I'd of course have no choice but to brand her instead."

_But you'd probably regret it fives times as much. _Thought Neji with a hint of bitterness. He didn't like to think that Hiashi was a father who played favorites, but there was only so much he could over look.

* * *

AN: How will Hinata deal with her new lot in life? Will it effect her performance as a ninja? And what is it that Shino and Tokuma found? All that in the next chapter.

I've noticed that my chapters are getting shorter in small increments. So I want to know if readers prefer long chapters or short chapters?

Until then, thank you for reading. Please leave a review.


	5. The River Mission

Quiet echoed off the walls as I stepped into the veranda of the Hyuga Branch compound, finding the place strangely empty. On the outside it closely resembled the traditional elegance of the Main House but inside was a more modern interior leaning close to barrack-like in atmosphere but not in a negative sense. It simply lacked the feeling of privilege that made me uncomfortable in my old living space.

The entrance chamber was dimly lit partially by the sun filtering through the windows but I could tell that a few souls were awake and moving about. Making my way through small hallways, passing various rooms, I looked around to see if I could find anyone going about their daily chores while making the conscious effort to not make too much noise. Turning a corner put me in the sights of Mino Hyuga, a slightly built woman older than me by at least four years. She was a head taller than I was, with a round china doll face and hair tied back as required for her job as a nurse. When she saw me she looked surprised and her body went rigged as if readying to bow but stopped herself and relaxed.

"Uh-my -uh, Hinata. I didn't expect to see you here so early." _'My Lady'_ she almost said. She was trying hard not to let slip the honorifics she had been taught to use since she was three. And for a brief moment we wouldn't make eye contact. I couldn't tell if she was nervous herself or for my sake. Is it possible for a forehead to blush? I felt heat under the bandages covering the seal, and even though the pain was gone I felt no real urge to remove them. But I knew sooner or later people would begin to wonder, and my bangs wouldn't be able to hide it.

I was thankful that Mino wasn't staring at my forehead, but I could gander the thoughts running through her head at the moment. She probably wanted to look. Things would be different between us now. The problem was I was never any good at breaking ice.

My fingers unconsciously played with the strap of the bag on my shoulder. " I wanted to get settled in and-"

"Oh!" She cut me off with a brief exclamation, her face brightened and some of the awkwardness left us. "Of course. You can just follow me down this hallway. It's one of the corner rooms." It was close, a small room tucked into the corner of the compound, not small enough to be considered an over sized closet, but large enough to be comfortable if not snug. And it had a window. I was glad I didn't own much in the first place.

"I know this is smaller than you're," in the middle of her sentence she bit down on her lip looking mortified. She must have thought she said something offensive. "forgive me, I didn't mean to sound insensitive." and she bowed slightly in embarrassment.

"You're not being insensitive" I said.

"Will you need anything?" I heard Mino say from behind as I stepped inside. I turned and smiled. "No thank you. I'll be fine."

"Good because I'm late, I mean, not that I wouldn't mind helping you," She was half walking half running down the hall with half of her body still turned to me, the other half speeding her away to the hospital.

"It's just that I'm late for my shift, well not late yet but I will be if I don't hurry, but if you need anything just ask me later!" She said that in one breath. And then she was gone. I un-shouldered my pack and plopped down onto the undone bed roll, digging through the bag I pulled out a small note and unfolded it, making a brief review of what I read earlier.

Right, a mission, meet in an hour. I was already half packed and just needed a few more things. I'd be at the gate early.

* * *

"Mizuki?" for a moment the fifth Hokage, Tsunade leaned in, her undiluted attention lay squarely on the two ninja standing in her office. Shino, Anko, and Tokuma had returned from their scouting mission on the edge of Grass country. She hadn't expected much of a return of their findings after one of the several hideouts of Orochimaru had been discovered out on the fringes. But to her surprise it brought a small dot of resolution which was drowned, of course, by an immediate cascade of new problems.

"Yes, the body of Mizuki Touji was found near the center of the underground cave. The corpse was in an unrecognizable state of decay but the forehead protector laying close to the body was our way of identifying him."

"I see." Tsunade thought grimly. It had been several months since Mizuki had escaped from prison. An extensive search proved fruitless, the only compensation was that he hadn't been able to sneak off with any of Konoha's secrets as he had tried to once before. From that point Tsunade knew he could not be reformed and that he was worth more to them dead than alive. He may not have had a high standing in the village but he could still become an ally to the enemy, something she couldn't over look. But now it seemed this problem was solved. That is, until Anko continued her report.

"We found another forehead protector near the body." She reached into a pocket and produced the evidence wrapped neatly in plastic. "It's from the Leaf village, but the symbol isn't scratched out." Tsunade examined the protector closely, it was a common signal of traitorous ninja to cut a gash along the symbol of their Hidden Village to demonstrate their willing self ostracism.

"We referenced the identification number ourselves. It belonged to a Hyuga."

* * *

Forest Country was a large place with a small population. The largest development sat along a river port. Their entire economy flowed along that river. Bringing in or taking out trade to neighboring countries. It was dotted with restaurants and markets, where shop keepers called out to potential customers, offering the freshest catch or a hot meal. Some offered beautiful necklaces and bracelets made out of sea shells and a few with actual pearls whenever fishermen came back from the sea.

"Wow I know I heard that people lived on the river, around here. I didn't take that literally." As we walked along the docks, Tenten saw a raft. Sitting on top of it was a house, a real house. Kiba, Tenten and I could only stare at the two young children playing quite contently on the "front porch" of the raft as it sailed casually by.

Most others preferred more permanent housing, though still quiet close to the river. Front doors practically opening up to the water with platforms leading down to small personal canoes or steam boats that carried people for miles up and down the large river system as complex as the system of the human body. With normal eyes you could barely see a few yards past the deep tree line but I knew deeper into the forest smaller villages were hidden but never more than a days walking distance from the water at most. The river was their livelihood.

Along the busy docks, near the end of one particularly long line of transportation ships, we saw a smaller boat which may have been used for fishing or personal use. Standing on the deck was our contact and guide Mikio (he goes only by that name), the captain of his own set of vessels and prominent business man of the region. He was stout and stocky with muscled arms but a prominent round stomach. The man turned and saw us walking toward him and frowned under his thick horseshoe mustache, eyeing us keenly with small eyes buried half way under thick brush-like eye brows that could compete with Lee's. By the way his eyes locked onto us, he must have sized us up before we were ever close enough to greet.

He raised his hand toward us. "Come on aboard, ninja." he said after glancing at our head bands. "So I guess you three are the ones I have to guide down this here river?"

"Yeah that would be us," answered Kiba. Unable to resist flashing a toothy smile despite our mission. "We got a distress call from one of the villages near here."

"I know the one, son. Well if you three are ready I'd like to get along quickly. It'll take us the rest of the day to get there."

"We won't be taking the most direct route. Backwater is best to keep from being noticed. You'd be surprised how many eyes are open along the river. Keep this clear, the last thing you want in this country is an ambush." Tenten leaned into my ear and whispered discreetly. "I heard that a ton of ninja who get assignments in Forest Country never leave, maybe thirty percent. Think its true?"

I had heard rumors before. My eyes widened and briefly flicked over to our captain. He wasn't watching our exchange of course, busy steering the boat and everything. Kiba was leaning lazily against the guard rail with Akamaru peering inquisitively over the side to get a view of the fish, but we were too high from the water for him to swat at them. All around me everything seemed peaceful, quiet and beautiful.

But on a mission it meant little. Forest Country was known as a wild and lawless place. A place where a person could spend their entire lives in hiding as long as they didn't plant themselves on any marked travel routes. Most of it being presumably uninhabited country, under smaller peaceful civilizations there was an expansive network of thieves and crooks and killers who could reek havoc just under a Hidden Villages radar. Especially now when times were difficult and all of the nations were spreading their resources thin enough. Nobody could worry themselves about, what most perceived to be, a group of petty thieves who didn't want to live under the law. That was what bounty hunters were for.

But this particular village had signed a contract with the Hidden Leaf, and we traded back and forth often. We were obligated out of self interest to protect a valuable asset to ourselves. A selfish way to think about it, but true none the less.

"We'll definitely have to keep on our guard. I know that much." I said back to Tenten and walked over to the same side railing Kiba was leaning against, though several feet away.

Something drew me to that spot. But part of me wanted to avoid being so close. Not that I had much choice, taking this mission kept me in silence the entire trip, with Tenten being the only means of breaking the electric tension I could feel building up between me and my team mate.

And now that Tenten had gone below deck to peruse through her weapons, I was exposed again. Not the best way to start a mission.

Akamaru was still fishing and as I glanced their way, Kiba's eyes found mine and I froze. His eyes pierced me. As if he already knew what I was too ashamed to tell him. Maybe he did. I hadn't removed the white cloth from around my forehead. Tenten didn't seem to take notice, Kiba certainly did.

Thankfully, the current broke when the fish Akamaru dragged nearly half way into the boat, a mammoth sized one, and this is in comparison to the dog trying to reel it in, managed to slip free of his paws before he could grab it with his teeth, leaving him with only a few scales and a disgruntled mood. The splash of the fish hitting the water and Akamaru ruffing sourly gave me an opening to look away and reconstruct a wall around myself.

"Hm, what is it, boy?" I heard Kiba say, telling me he had also looked away. "Oh it got away, eh? Don't worry, there's tons of em you'll get lucky eventually."

Soon the sunlight that filtered through the tree tops vanished as the day eased into darkness. Traveling in the path of the setting sun almost brought an eerie feeling. The river we were traveling on lost its charm and turned into a kind of dark and menacing portal making my shoulders tense just slightly. Mikio impressed us with his ability to steer the boat even in near complete darkness, a skill learned from years of experience going up and down the river maybe hundreds of times in his life.

The forest seemed even more alive at night. All kinds of sounds as animals hunted in the reeds and insects glowed and hummed in an instinctual yet beautiful pattern. So far we had nothing to fear, Kiba smelt nothing that seemed foreign or dangerous and we were all prepared to defend the boat or bolt into the trees at any possible moment. I kept my Byakugan activated, just in case.

"We'll be coming to the trail that leads up to the village soon, keep your eyes open wide." Mikio gave us a warning with an underlying meaning. People who lived in this country acceled in concealment. But I was confident. Very few things could slip past my bloodline and avoiding Kiba's nose was a near impossible task when he caught your scent.

Mikio stopped the boat and moored it to a strong tree before we unloaded and took to the trees along the trail. Kiba took the lead. Using his nose to detect anything out of the ordinary or dangerous, he was also strong enough to knock back or break through whatever opposition that might spring into our path.

Second in line was Tenten being the fastest on our team, she could counter any immediate threat in all directions with her incredible reflexes and ability to make fatal or non fatal hits with her throwing weapons. Watching Tenten train, it was plain to see that her accuracy was top notch even up to some of the smallest details. If she were a Hyuga like me she would be one of the most deadly.

Mikio, though not a ninja, could still hold his own and had tactical fighting experience from his time in service as a Samurai guard in Iron Country. Outfitted in a strong camo vest, he armed himself with several throwing knives and shuriken, along with a saber held to his waste that he often used to cut his way through the thick undergrowth and smoke bombs in a rear pouch. And that left me bringing up the rear, using Byakugan to see far head in every direction and giving us an added edge against any possible ambush.

The trees crowded close to the roughly carved trail, the branches interwoven so thickly it almost served as floor we could run across. It made more sense to enter the village through a secret side trail than through the main gates, the enemy may have already caught wind of us.

That's when I noticed it. "Stop everyone." I said in a closed whisper. I squinted my eyes and concentrated. The signature was incredibly faint like that of a dying person. "Three kilometers in front of us."

"Is it moving?" Kiba asked after we halted from the front of the line.

"No its completely still. Like its waiting."

"Bet its a trap." Tenten muttered softly.

"Could be," Kiba said and lifted his chin, inhaling wholly through his nose gathering information. "Male, healthy, no sweat, adrenaline, or blood in the air." he growled a little. "If he knows we're here he isn't taking any action from what I can tell." And neither could I.

Strange, judging by the distance I should have been able to see the pathways more clearly but instead it seemed to flicker in and out of my sight yet never moving from that one spot. My Byakugan could see the chakra pathways of any human and this interference of my vision disturbed me.

"Something is interfering with my Byakugan. I can see the chakra but it's faint." This brought a pause to the group. Kiba and Tenten knew well the powers of the Byakugan and it was a definite matter of significance when something disrupted it.

"The man who sent the distress message was the only one to escape the village." Mikio said. "Everyone was taken hostage until the village was practically wiped clean of valuable resources. He was only able to get away due to a lax in their guard." he sighed and looked down as he recalled an ugly memory. " He was half dead when he was pulled from the river by the port."

"So there's little chance that the villagers could fight back. Rogues will kill just to set an example to the rest if they gotta."

Tenten quickly brought us back to our more current predicament. "To be honest, anything that can disrupt Byakugan is something I don't want to tackle with. At least not yet." Kiba nodded in agreement. "So we won't. We'll go around him."

We went into stealth mode and split into two groups. Just so that we could cover both sides of the trail with equal strength and not be clumped into one group just in case a trap decided to spring. Kiba and Tenten to the West, Mikio and I to the East, I never took my eyes off of the mystery man at the center of the trail. He never moved. We moved quickly and quietly, gradually edging around, but even as we did my perception of his chakra never improved, it was just as fractured as ever. I could see everyone clearly except the man in the distance. I didn't like this, it was looking more and more like a trap as we went along. We were going around but we still had to pass by the lone figure on route to the village. My only comfort was that there were four of us and only one of him and we were giving him plenty of wide berth. I detected nothing else but as soon as we closed the distance to one kilometer the target vanished completely before my eyes.

"He's gone!" I shouted in mid jump. Or at least I almost did. As soon as I shouted -g- something sharp and heavy shot through the trees, puncturing my left shoulder, turning my last word into a half groan half shriek of surprise and pain. My concentration shattered as the force of the blow knocked me off of my feet and backwards, branches struck me as I fell through. The air above me exploded into blinding light and heat, swallowing Mikio to my sight and overwhelming everything I could see.

* * *

AN: And that's all for now. I know the going is slow but I promise a pick up in pace next chapter.

I've managed to get this chapter done in a little over three thousand words which is about the same length as last so I think that will be my benchmark for now.

Until then, thank you for reading and as always, please leave a review.


	6. What Friends are For

My vision was blotted as if I had been forced to stare at the sun too long. My hearing was equal to what it must be like to stick your head under a giant ringing church bell, and my shoulder screamed with a pulsating agony as I fell clumsily and painfully down from the tree tops. I still had the presence of mind to reach out for a branch, stopping my free fall which probably would have put me out of commission completely had I actually hit the ground.

The trees in Forest Country were quite tall if you could imagine. Some stood nearly twice the size of the Hokage Tower. While hanging precariously from the branch, I forced my eyes to open as the giant expulsion of sound, heat, and light finally dissipated above me. It took precious time for my ears and eyes to readjust to my surroundings. My eyes slowly focused onto my predicament, looking down into a rocky gully below me which didn't look like a safe place to land and my ears picked up the high whistle of many many metal objects being flung through the air above me. The sound made me think of Tenten who was probably in trouble which meant I couldn't waste anymore time doing nothing.

Ignoring the pain in my shoulder and arm I hoisted myself onto the slender yet sturdy branch and leaned myself against the massive trunk for stability. From where I stood I saw Kiba and Akamaru standing boldly in front of Mikio who crouched on a slightly lower branch though he was not cowering. The three were staring up at a cloaked figure in a rimmed hat with a thick scowl several boughs above them. The man I assumed to be our attacker.

_Byakugan!_ I immediately knew that our opponent was under the guise of a transformation jutsu. Beyond that, nothing more. It surprised and frustrated me. A jutsu underneath another jutsu? My Byakugan pierced through the outer disguise with ease but collided against a solid black silhouette of prohibition. At best I could only see a very vague outline of his facial features. Was this the cause of the interference?

At this range, getting past the technique could be easier. I formed a simple hand seal and urged more of my chakra to circulate behind my eyes. The veins grew more pronounced as the power flowed in. Just as I thought, the dark veil began peeling away bit by bit like blowing bits of torn paper to the wind. The black shadow began to dissipate revealing the person's true form beneath.

Kiba shouted up at him, his voice full of cocky self- assurance.

"Yo! You must be one of the guys we're out here looking for. Your welcome didn't have to be so rough, dude."

"So, you're the one terrorizing villages on this river?" Mikio asked in a voice booming with anger. His hand reached for his blade. Even he was ready for a fight.

"Be careful, Kiba. He's disguised!" I called out to him from the side.

The man ignored Kiba and Mikio, turning to me as if in shock, but nothing could have been more shocking than what I saw. With my own bloodline I could see underneath, the glowing essence of Byakugan staring right back at me.

Unfortunately for him he took his eyes away from Kiba, who jumped, sending himself into Gatsuga, darting like a torpedo toward the rogue's center of mass. The rogue was surprisingly quick, jumping straight up as Kiba shot past. I put myself between him and our escort when he turned to me again with a look of frustration and anger in his eyes, drawing a kunai in one swift motion. He never had the chance to throw his knife as weighted chains sailed through the trees and wrapped around his extended appendage. From her position several yards from us, Tenten swung our assailant high and away, the chain and his body snapping through the branches in ascent above us. Kiba had rebounded before Tenten even began her swing. And almost before I even realized, Kiba's attack struck the rogue square in his back, the power of his rotation shredding everything in its path.

That is, until the rogue's body vanished into a poof of smoke, leaving a splintered log wrapped in Tenten's chain. It was too late to call out a warning; my mouth simply couldn't form words fast enough. But I knew they both saw it, too. The thin string tied to the log, dangling, a tiny round-

"Bomb!"

I saw Kiba try to cover himself from the brunt of the blast before he was engulfed in smoke. I was lifted up, no longer able to hold on. Tenten's shout was smothered before the wave hit me, literally tearing me away from my perch. I could feel the forest around me being ripped apart by the incredible force, and something particularly solid hit me, sending me into an uncontrollable spin in mid air.

When I finally landed face up in a ditch beside the trail, my head was swimming and my body felt numb. I cracked an eyelid to see everything engulfed in smoke, part of the tree line now completely missing, making a giant hole with a clear view of the sky. Then a dark cloak obscured my vision. My blood chilled as two thoughts went through my head.

One, our opponent was a Hyuga, no doubt about that. There was the possibility that he had taken an eye from one of our fallen but I found that very unlikely. Not only was stealing our bloodline extremely difficult given our grim fail safe, but I would have known about it. The whole clan would have known.

Second, this one man had ground our troupe to a halt, managed to obstruct my Byakugan, and may have gravely hurt or killed my friends. With that realization, I became angry. But the normal reserved part of me warned that I needed to keep a clear head. He was practically on top of me and probably ready to kill me.

He nudged me in the side with his boot, urging a groan from my lips. I tried to steady my breath and gather my strength; he didn't seem to be in a hurry. He knelt down, his face still in the shadows of his rimmed hat. I admit to a twinge of panic when he pulled a kunai from his belt and leaned forward, but instead of slashing my throat, he went for the cloth on my forehead, neatly cutting it away to reveal the seal underneath.

His blank look turned grim and then angry.

I saw him raise his boot again but I wasn't going to let him have a second try at kicking me.

I grabbed his foot in my hand. He wasn't expecting me to move and lost his balance as I pulled with all my strength. We were both in the dirt now and I used the side of the ditch to pull myself up. He didn't look amused, maybe even embarrassed to have been caught off guard by a fallen enemy.

He could get up faster than I could. He lunged, but I was ready. I caught his extended arm in the crook of my own arm and guided the blade he held away from my face. At the same time, with my other hand, palm facing upwards, was rammed into his chest, dispersing enough chakra to make his lungs spasm. I felt his pulse lose its rhythm before he could pull away from me, gasping and holding his chest. It made me wonder if he was frail under all his heavy clothing, not that it mattered much.

He uttered a swear and stood several feet away from me, getting the message that I wasn't going to let him have his way. "I don't know who you are or what problem you have with me," I said solidly though my mind kept wandering to my team. "But if you're a Hyuga and not a common thief or killer, then I ask that you face me like one."

I took my stance, holding my ground. I wasn't surprised when his movements mirrored mine. We stood still for a moment sizing each other up and waiting to see who would move first.

It may have been to my good health that I didn't have to fight the rogue then. Akamaru sailed straight over my head, coming from above landing directly between me and my opponent. He was growling with fangs bared, looking every bit as imposing as any person could imagine a dog his size could be. Which is very imposing. But the rogue didn't loose his courage until Kiba, Tenten and Mikio broke the tree line just behind me. The sight of them running forward must have sapped his courage and in an instant he turned to flee toward the gully behind him.

He would have made it if Tenten's throwing arm weren't quicker. I watched the kunai blade hit a tree with its roots hanging far over the edge of the deep hole and the tag attached to it explode the moment the rogue was ready to jump. The blast was small and contained and didn't seem to hurt him. But the ground beneath his feet was weak and the shock of the blast was all it took to destroy whatever stability it had. All we could do was watch as the ground collapsed underneath him, slabs of the earth started to rise as other parts buckled and sank. The rogue remained silent while being consumed by the tons of rock that sucked him over the edge. For several seconds I heard the crashing tumble and a final jarring smash as everything hit the jagged rocks below.

Kiba met Akamaru by what remained of the edge of the gully, first cautiously peering over and finally jumping down to see what remained of our assailant. Tenten met me with a cursory glance before grimacing a bit at my appearance. But going by her expression I wasn't harboring any life threatening injuries and from what I could gather neither did she.

"Crap, where did he go?" It was Kiba still searching down in the gully. Both he and Akamaru were combing the area to see if the rogue was alive or dead. Mikio stayed on top while Tenten and I decided to follow.

Kiba shouted from the bottom. "Hey Hinata, you see that jerk anywhere?" I scanned, saw nothing at first, and then suddenly there was a flash of movement in my vision and there he was safely on the other side of the gully, the heavy smoke from the bomb and the rising dust and dirt from the ravine obscuring everything but his chakra veins to my sight.

"There! Above us!" I shouted while leaping across several slabs of stone to reach the other side of the canyon. I heard the others following but before we could reach the other side, the rogue turned and fled. Each leap and bound taking him further and deeper into the forest. I heard Kiba curse and stop, uttering a colorful complaint when Tenten and Mikio caught up to him. I was further ahead, the Byakugan giving me a slight advantage, but I knew my teammates were blinded by the smog that still hung strongly. I checked myself and stopped. Why did I feel such an urge to give chase? My team mattered more so I turned back to find them. When I did, Kiba was kneeling against the thick trunk of a tree for support, Akamaru standing close to him, whimpering his concerns.

"He got away, didn't he." Tenten asked in exasperation from another branch, our guide standing near her. Mikio was staring off into the distance, the direction of the village, seemingly unconcerned about the rogue or by what had just transpired.

"It wouldn't be much good for me to pursue him alone," I said. "He could have have lead me into another trap."

"Yeah, he caught us off guard, and Kiba got hit." Tenten said.

I gasped and looked at the Inuzuka. I saw the blood on his face smeared thick and brown because it was mixed with dirt but my apprehensions were stifled when I detected no real harm to his body. No broken bones. Like most ninja, Kiba could take heavy amounts of damage before his body would collapse under pressure. The ability to mold chakra gave us that extra protection.

"Yuagaaachoo!" Kiba let out another heavy and throaty sneeze, flinching he worked the cartilage in his nose gingerly with his fingers but that just caused the blood to smear more. "I can't smell a damn thing and I have a headache the size of Chouji's appettite." Akamaru whined almost apologetically and began licking Kiba's forehead. "Fuck." he scowled again and brought a hand gingerly to his face. "I think my nose is broken."

"Stop complaining, child. You could be dead."

As taken back as we were by Mikio's words we knew he was right.

"That trap could have been a genuine bomb. If it were then a few of us wouldn't be alive." That was a sobering statement that traveled through us instantly. And not just because we were getting a mini lecture from the person we were assigned to protect. What we had experienced was more like a giant smoke bomb with force behind it. A tremendous force that I could only compare to one of Lady Temari's fan attacks. Though we had somehow managed to survive it. But being on the receiving end of Lady Temari's fan is probably just as bad as a bomb, right?

"So the guy was just out here laying traps?" Tenten asked.

"If there are others then they'd want to secure the perimeter around the village." Mikio said. But for some reason I was beginning to feel uneasy about the true intentions of our rogue. Now that I knew he was Hyuga, the thought of him being a felon became one hundred times more unsavory to me. I wanted to tell Kiba and Tenten about my findings, but knew better. I still had misgivings and this was information Mikio didn't need to hear.

"Here, take this." I handed Kiba a clean cloth from my small carry bag.

"Thanks." he said with an undertone of genuine gratitude as he wiped his face clean.

* * *

Kiba wanted to hunt the man down more than anything but Mikio urged that we press forward to find out the condition of the river side village. That was our primary. We didn't have to travel long but it was almost dawn when we reached the village gates. Everyone waited tensely in the shadows as I scanned the area, I was honestly surprised to see no struggle within the walls. Plenty of destruction, yes, even from where I stood I could see small separate piles of bodies and smell acrid smoke clearly evident by the black trail rising from the farthest end of the village. Bodies were being burned, probably cremated. Cremation smoke mixing with the still glowing ashes of destroyed homesteads.

If I were an Inuzuka I could imagine myself smelling the woodsy scent of freshly broken earth. Bodies were being buried. But from where I stood I felt that I had missed the larger storm that had transpired and was instead about to step into the backwash of the aftermath. People scavenging and rebuilding to put their lives back together. An uneasy but grimly accepted peace after the chaos.

"What do you mean that guy wasn't a fugitive?" Kiba was indignant until a level stare from Tenten told him to simmer and not boil. When we entered the village and made our presence known, it became immediately obvious that questioning was the lowest priority on the itinerary. We spent several hours of the day tending to wounded, clearing debris, digging graves and overall just doing our best to try and assuage the mountainous amounts of suffering and grief that was compounded into small villages walls. But the pain of loss was great and spilling over. I could feel it entering my soul despite my efforts to harden it. Another grave weakness of mine, I assume.

I felt terrible the time we had done enough and one of the village elders was ready to speak with us. The village elder sat on the other side of the small pitfire that was made in the court of one of the buildings that remained standing. He stared into the flames seemingly absorbed by the flickering light, not saying anything for a while. And I felt absorbed into his silence. This poor old man was probably too grieved to speak about what had happened. But we waited patiently, (Tenten had to stare Kiba down two more times) and when he was ready, he spoke.

"The outlaws came six days ago on a full moon. They didn't bother with concealment. By the time I had awakened , four homes had been flattened, sleeping families still inside. Everyone ran outside to witness the destruction. They killed the men who tried to fight them until nobody was willing to resist anymore. Then they dragged us to the center of the village, beating everyone all the while, and separated us into groups. The women, the children, and the old." he shuddered and so did I. I had heard about bandit's common practice of choosing who out of their multitude of victims they would sell into slavery. It often started like that. He told us more of their atrocities and when the mystery hunter showed up.

"I can only assume he was a bounty hunter." the elder said with a shrug. "It took him two days to kill them all except one who managed to escape. He left yesterday morning in pursuit of the bandit that escaped."

"That must have been the guy we ran into," whispered Tenten.

"He left as mysteriously as he'd come. Not even giving an explanation. But he did leave the bodies of the rogues he had slain outside the village walls." Mikio was about to ask a question when the elder cut him off. "We burnt them of course."

"I wish you hadn't, sir." Mikio said with a sigh. "We could have examined the bodies to try and find out where the outlaws came from." That made sense. Outlaws often formed clans, usually made of people with shared interests. Like the high profile, highly dangerous group Akatsuki.

We were taken off guard when the elder shook his head and produced something from out of his back pocket. " It wouldn't be necessary. These weren't found on the bodies but when the hunter was combing the woods, he found these on the far side of the river bank."

He held a dirty forehead protector, the Hidden Stone Village symbol stamped into the metal.

"May I see that, sir?" asked Tenten. The man pressed the protector into her palm in such a way that said "you can keep it".

"The Hidden Stone Village?" the wheels in Kiba's head were spinning. "You don't think...?"

"It's just a guess, but I know the Hokage will want to know about this."

I leaned in closer to get a better look. The metal piece didn't have a gash along the symbol. "But if these weren't missing-nin... they were acting on behalf of their village."

"They've broken over a dozen laws by coming here." I heard the edge in Tenten's voice. We asked if the village had any means left of sending a message to Konoha. Carrier Pigeon, that would take several days. But we set the bird free and watched it fly in the direction of home. It was a primitive and uninsured means of communication because anything could happen to the bird en route, we would just have to wait and see. But until we received further instructions, it was still our job to help the village rebuild and guard it from any possible attack in the future. So we made ourselves busy.

* * *

At the end of the day everyone had settled down to sleep, except for Kiba, Tenten and I. Underneath the star-lit sky we stood guard at different corners of the village. I stood on the roof top of one of the remaining buildings looking over the North wall gate which shadowed the path we had come from. A couple of fires had been built at the center of the village to provide light and warmth since a few of the villagers had no beds to lay on. The night was still young when Kiba left his post to visit me.

"Hey, Hinata, you got a minute?"

I turned to face him slightly, trying to not feel self-conscious. Even in the center of turmoil I found myself pulling bandages from my bag and wrapping them around my forehead to cover the seal but I wasn't naive enough to think Kiba didn't notice.

"Hinata." he said once maybe to see if I would fully face him. When I didn't he continued anyway.

"Why didn't you tell us that they were gonna put the seal on you?"He didn't waste any time getting to what was on his mind and I knew he wouldn't take my silence as an answer, not this time.

"You could have told us what was going on, we could have helped you. Why didn't Neji say anything?" his tone was accusing.

"He was away for two months on a mission, he... he didn't know until the last minute." I finally said. He'd forced my hand. The last thing I wanted was for Kiba to direct his anger at my cousin. Things between me and Neji had gotten better but he didn't know that.

There was a slight pause but the fresh night air suddenly felt stale in my lungs. In that short time I thought of how Kiba could express his disappointment in me. Either because I kept him and Shino in the dark or because I had lost my final match with Hanabi and demoted to the Branch house. Over the years I became more open with them, not that I necessarily have to tell them anything about my past. Whenever he and Shino came to fetch me for training I had a feeling they were able to comprehend on their own without ever stepping inside my home. People don't give them credit, especially Kiba , when it comes to perceptiveness. I think the Inuzuka nose is able to tell him things I'd never consider. Once during our academy days he made an innocent comment that he was able to smell tears. Half mortified, I believed him, and did my best to never cry in front of him after that.

Against my better judgment I wanted to shy away from him then. Kiba wasn't a Hyuga but he knew of our clan ways. He knew about Neji's anger and frustration with our clan order. The way he fought bitterly against the psychological clutch of the seal, his deep resentment of my place in the Main Family, and he knew about my father and Hanabi. He also knew that the curse seal meant that I had fallen from a high place in the order and that the family didn't think highly of me anymore as if they ever did in the first place. I was where I was supposed to be now.

And now, irrational or not, I was fearing that Kiba would look at the seal and think that I wasn't worth his time anymore. That all of the time he put in to help me train, get stronger, and climb out of my mire of hopelessness was a waste of time.

"Hinata, turn around and look at me, will ya?" I risked turning around. When our eyes met, my face flushed almost instantly with shame and I looked away.

"You didn't have to be so hushed about it, Hinata. We were both worried about you."

Contrary to how I thought he'd react, his voice softened, and I thought I heard a hint of a smile. Confused, I looked up to see him again. He looked relaxed but I saw sadness in his eyes. Then he looked away. My heart plunged. "Are you upset with me?"

"No." he answered,crossing his arms. "Just disappointed."

I turned away from him again feeling frustrated. "Don't be. I didn't tell you or Shino for a reason."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

I took a deep breath and silently exhaled. "I... didn't want you to feel sorry for me; whatever happened I would carry the consequences alone," I said. I looked at him straight on. "I don't want your pity."

Kiba made a sound between a snort and a laugh, again catching me off guard.

"You think I'd actually pity you? Huh, you know I'm not the kind of guy to throw around pity."

"And I don't see any reason to pity you. But what happened?"

I faced him again slightly. "I did it for Hanabi." I admitted for the first time to anyone. "I didn't want her to have this seal. She doesn't deserve it."

"You don't deserve it either." Kiba insisted. I wished I could have believed him. A rueful smile played across my face but I felt the dread lift off my shoulders. I was more embarrassed than anything. "It was a final test between Hanabi and I...I lost so I had to take the seal. It's clan law that my father could not ignore forever."

"Typical Hinata." he said. "You never think about yourself enough, always putting other people above yourself. Almost too much."

"So you're saying what I did was wrong" I asked defensively. An automatic response to the emotions building inside me. Although I knew he was saying this out of concern, I couldn't help but feel that he was challenging me. But I knew I'd never regret doing what I did for Hanabi's sake.

Kiba shook his head almost immediately. "Of course not."

I instantly deflated.

"I'm sorry, Kiba. I just felt that clan affairs should have been kept to myself. But I guess there's no point in hiding something like this personal from my team, as if I ever could." The side long glace he gave me was shrewd but he smiled, seemingly appeased by my response. "We're a team, Hinata. More than that, we're friends. If you ever feel that you can't talk to anyone else, you can talk to us."

Right on cue my thoughts flew back to the rogue. My brain filed through various faces of my, maybe trying to take stock of who I had seen recently or not, but came to no conclusions. I had never met that man before. My mind switched back to the present just in time to see Kiba giving me a look. "What's on your mind?"

Was I really that obvious? "It's the ninja we met earlier today. I can't stop thinking about him."

"Yeah, he really was a mystery wasn't he." Kiba sighed.

"Yes, he was, but I can't help but feel he was familiar to me in some way."

"Familiar? Like you know him?"

I shook my head. "I can't be sure. It was just a feeling."

"Well either way, according to the villagers, he saved them from being wiped out completely. Our bounty hunter can't be that bad."

"Perhaps. But at the moment, the subject of his identity is out of our hands."

We were silent for the next several minutes, focusing on the night sounds of the forest which encircled us. It was possible that I was wrong. The rogue really could have been just that. And the eyes, a trophy from a fallen family member. Neither option provided pleasant thoughts.

I don't know what internal dialog persuaded me to ask, perhaps it was just spontaneous, but before really thinking about whether or not I wanted to hear Kiba's honest answer, I blurted out, "S-so you don't think having the curse seal makes me weak?"

Kiba looked pointedly at me, almost surprised, and said "The seal doesn't mean a damn thing to me. I know who you are. You're a good ninja."

An underlying pressure that had been building up inside of me the whole time evaporated. An annoying stiffness in my shoulders also seemed to ease. Kiba's way with words were nothing special but they worked well on me, I smiled thankfully up at him. "That makes me feel a lot better, Kiba. Thank you."

"No problem." His reply was reassuring and the night air didn't seem so cold anymore. We got little sleep since we both gave our bed rolls away to the villagers sleeping below us. But a companionable silence stayed with us through the night.


	7. The Secret of Tetsuya Hyuga

Chapter 7 Mystery of Tetsuya Hyuga

My integration into the Branch family was steadier than I had anticipated. I wonder if that is because in a way I was already half way there. For a long time I always felt a lucid disconnect between myself and the Main family. A feeling which became almost tangible after the death of my mother. It didn't only effect me, her loss did something to my father, the only word I can attach to it is devastate. But I do not think that word is strong enough or deep enough. I don't want to say that I am particularly good at reading emotions of other people, especially my age at that time,but I know my father loved mother unconditionally. As a man born and raised in a warring society, Hitomi Hyuga became his compassion and peace. The only time his eyes ever lost their hardness was when he was in her presence. But in her absence, with the constant reminder of why her shadow no longer graced our home, the hardness in my father's soul to permeate. The unstable atmosphere between the nations gave him a reason to be angry and the anger over his loss gave him boundless energy to conquer and destroy countless foes.

"Hinata, I brought you some tea."

I had been in the training courtyard for most of the morning, only when I heard Mino's voice from around the corner did I finally decide to stop. She was setting down the tray of tea and small cakes on the veranda for both of us. I was grateful for this, out of all the family, with the exception of Neji, of course, Mino was the first to accept me and my new standings in the Hyuga family.

"You've been in here for hours, I thought you would like to take a break." With an appreciative sigh I sat on the porch and tried my best to not swallow my tea in under three gulps. I didn't realize how tired I was until then.

"It must have been a rough day." she commented.

"Not necessarily." I said. "I normally start my day with morning exercises though not usually in the courtyard." Mino nodded in understanding. "With your team right?" I was surprised to hear her sigh wistfully. She leaned back on her palms staring up at the ceiling. "I wish I could have trained as a shinobi sometimes. Not for the glamor of course." she said with a sarcastic influx in tone. "But I'm always hearing stories and I can't help but say it all sounds exciting."

Mino had a very bright and headstrong personality but at a young age she was denied the opportunity become a shinobi because she was deemed too sickly by our clan to be effective in battle. Though not just physically, her Byakugan was weaker than what could be usable in most field situations. I sympathized with Mino but she quickly found a place where she could be useful to the village as a nurse in Konoha's hospital. Her Byakugan wasn't powerful enough to see far into the distance, but it was delicate enough to see small maladies inside of a body, infants in particular, which is why she spent most of her time in the maternity wards. I had often wondered how I would fair as a healer, and if, considering my pitiful fledgling years in the academy, the only reason I had become a ninja at all was because I used to be heir to the clan.

"You'd be surprised, the average mission isn't very exciting but you do get to travel a lot." I said to spur conversation.

Mino's body language told me she was very interested. "Yeah? How far do missions take you?"

"Oh, any distance really. Quite a few times I've been as far as Tea Country."

Mino sat up with a smile. "Is the tea there as delicious as I've heard?" I nodded. "Yes, it's some of the best I've tasted."

I watched her face fall from a smile to a look of discontent for a mere moment I thought she looked _upset at me_, before looking up again. "Then you're lucky." The sudden change of mood was a little disconcerting, but before I was able to address it, two figures entered the yard.

"You're back!" Mino brightened suddenly as she bounced forward to meet my cousin at the threshold. But before she reached them, a harried looking Neji was pushed roughly inside by one other of my clan, a young branch child named Nao. Small yet solidly built for his age with short tussled hair. Nearing his second year in the academy he was always in high spirits. Probably already madly excited for the day he'd be assigned a real sensei and start the official training. Oddly enough wasn't much of a troublemaker, maybe due to the stiff rules of the Hyuga when it came to a child's behavior. He spends much of his days on the outskirts of town where he, from what I've heard, has almost a second life with a stone mason's family. Until someone can locate him and drag him back. I rarely see him for any stretch of time on the grounds. Something about the place seems to repel him, unless he can conjure a way to get Neji's attention. Nao quickly pushed Neji into the center of the area and took up a fighting stance. Mino watched him clearly not amused.

"I don't care how long you've been out of the village, you promised me you'd teach me how to use that technique, and I'm not letting you walk away before you do!"

Neji looked down at the other, shorter Hyuga looking fairly agitated.

"I told you before that I'd explain this to you later, Nao. But you have to wait, I don't have time at the moment."

"You never have time!" The boy argued.

"Nao quit being annoying. What are you bothering him about today?" asked Mino.

"I was on my way to the council chambers to give a report," Neji said. " I should have known better than to walk past the training grounds. Of course _you'd_ be here waiting for me." The younger Hyuga could only smile up at his idol.

"You're still gonna show me those cool jutsu's aren't you?" When it looked like Neji was still going to refuse, Nao quickly added. "C'mon, Neji you're the best in the whole clan, I wouldn't want to learn how to use the air palm technique from anyone else but you!"

Neji sighed in resignation. I was surprised, the tickling of his ego actually worked. Neji had been under the boys constant hailstorm of praise since...well since he was old enough to remember Neji's name. All Nao seemed to want for for Neji to be his teacher. My cousin, of course, was always on the move, doing several different missions for the village. While some of my friends often fantasized about becoming sensei one day I'd never heard Neji speak about it even once. But today it seemed he had finally submitted to the juvenile admiration and flattery, if only just this one time.

"I'll meet you here some time in the afternoon. I'll show you some basic moves then. Will that be o.k. with you?" Nao did a few giddy hops around the floor, pumping his fist in the air and smiling broader than Cheshire. "You're the best, Neji!" the young boy's jubilation pulled a smile out of my cousin just before his eyes tracked over to me. Even though I knew he saw me upon entering, his gaze still brought a jolt to my shoulders that I tried to hide. A part of me still hated the nervousness I felt around my cousin even though two years had past since the Chunin exams. Not out of any fear of him, things between he and I had changed.

My uneasy feelings came from the fact that in some ways Neji was also my teacher and sometimes, like with Kurenai, I liked the feeling of his approval of my growing skills. It's just that to me something always seemed to bother my cousin and I can never tell what it is. I wasn't his confidante so all I could do was wonder. My hidden uneasiness was assuaged by the smile still on his face. His stern outset seemed to turn into vapor. I realized then that I didn't see Neji smile often.

"Good morning, Hinata. I hope this morning finds you well." he said. I smiled back replying, "I'm fine. I returned from Forest Country a few days ago." Then a sudden thought sparked in my brain and I couldn't stop myself from vocalizing it before I could dwell on misgivings. "Actually Neji I couldn't help but over hear your conversation with Nao just a moment ago, and I was wondering if...well, I could help you out when you train him, I mean... he might have an easier time learning a few techniques if he was able to observe them first hand. That would require two people at least." It was a sound idea. I had sparred often with Neji in the past to improve my close combat and chakra focusing skills along with time spent with Kurenai-sensei. He taught me Gentle Fist. Even I had to admit improvement over time but part of me wondered if I was good enough to teach any one. Technically I wasn't the one giving the lesson. My cousin didn't seem to object, he nodded thoughtfully for a moment. "I agree, it might be better for Nao if he was shown a few demonstrations."

I knew I could do it. They were just demonstrations after all. I knew I could

* * *

"So you think the man you met in Forest Country was a Hyuga," Shino asked though it sounded more like a statement than a question. "Interesting."

"When my Byakugan first pierced through the veil he looked like any normal man, it was only on my second attempt that I could tell he possessed Byakugan himself. That and...he seemed to recognize me."

I was sitting in the middle of the training grounds with Shino and Kiba. After morning practice I usually spent the rest of the morning either in the garden or in town. Today I decided to take my time and drift lazily about the food market, absorbing the sounds of the people mingling in tight clusters around shops and sitting on park benches, their discussions on how their days would unfold mingling and meshing. I also came through this area of the village to enjoy the smells wafting beautifully from several establishments cooking delicious things from beef to ramen and dango. Eventually I always end up on the other side of the village, nearly opposite of my home near the usual meeting place of team Kurenai. This usually explained why I was always the last person to arrive for a mission save for Kurenai herself. But we often chose this spot when we ever planned to meet and spend the day together. This was one of those times. In some way or another the issue of my last mission was brought into the discussion.

"As I mentioned earlier," said Shino. "The expedition into Grass Country lead us to one of Orochimaru's old lairs. But the place was wiped clean of any evidence that would lead to his current whereabouts. But what we did find was very peculiar." Kiba and I listened intently.

"The body of the missing nin and tratior, Mizuki, was found deep inside the catacombs. It appeared that his body had been there for some time, decayed to a point that examining the body was more difficult than expected."

"Mizuki...you mean that spy for Orochimaru, what did they find?" asked Kiba who was sitting against the trunk of the large tree which sat on the intersection of our usual meeting spot, Akamaru laying faithfully at his side.

"What did they find? After we reported our findings the progression of the investigation left my point of involvement. But what I learned from the forensics department is that there seemed to be no obvious external clue pointing to his death. It wouldn't make sense for him to die in such a place without reason, even considering the location, there appeared to be no sign of struggle or violence."

We sat in silence a few seconds, chewing on Shino's words.

"What they did find upon further inspection was that Mizuki had suffered several internal wounds, bruised and damaged tissues, but the exact cause of death was his heart. It had ruptured, of course, killing him in seconds."

"But no external injuries?" I asked.

"Nothing that could be easily seen given the amount of decay the body had already acquired. But the examiners knew what they were doing and confirmed that Mizuki hadn't suffered as much as a paper cut. It was a direct force blow to the heart. Most likely with focused chakra causing his tenketsu to flood with chakra. The overflow is what caused eternal damage and destroyed his heart."

I felt an icy chill run down my spine ignoring the warmth of the day. That sounded suspiciously like a specialized attack. One that even an intermediately skilled Hyuga could pull off. Instant death blows with little to no extraneous effort. That is why my clan so praised and so dangerous.

"Hn?" Kiba glanced at me. "You don't think-"

"It is possible." I said slowly. "Something that shouldn't be... ruled out."

"But Hinata are you sure that the guy we fought in Forest Country was a Hyuga?"

I nodded. "I'm positive, before he escaped I managed to see through his jutsu."

"Hyuga aren't the only ninja who are capable of causing extensive internal damage, but the suspicious lack of external injuries is a hallmark to your clan." said Shino. "Hinata, how many people know that a Hyuga had deserted?"

I was silent for a moment, creasing my brows while thinking about it. "Not many, not me, maybe not most of my clan," "I, and... I assume most others, were told that Tetsuya Hyuga had perished on the Hidden Rain border. That he was a traitor trying to make contact with Rain ninja but our Anbu killed him before he had the chance."

"When did this happen?" asked Shino.

"Years ago, before we went to academy."

"The only way I knew about this was through you, Hinata" said Kiba. "But what about everyone else? Is this secret information?"

I shook my head. "Not anymore. The Hokage is furious that something like this was kept secret for so long." When a shinobi deserts their village every ninja, chunin and higher, are supposed to given any available information. To slowly and inconspicuously stay alert for this shinobi while on other missions."

"A silent man hunt." Shino nodded. "That makes sense. If the elders tried a more direct and aggressive search, the culprit would only bury himself deeper into obscurity. The point of a silent hunt is to lower the target's guard. Make him think that the Hidden village doesn't consider his absence much of a threat in the hope that he will come out of hiding."

I was standing right in the office when Lady Tsunade and my father traded harsh words back and forth.

For some reason my clan wanted to keep Tetsuya's desertion a secret.

* * *

The goal of this training was simple. Tied to our wrists was a tiny jingling bell, the obvious objective, to steal the bell of my opponent. Neji had come close to stealing mine several times but I couldn't say the same. I skirted around the edge of his range searching for an opening yet not expecting much for my hoping. The Empty Palm technique was a ranged attack. Combined with his ability to see from all sides, Neji could swat me out of the air any time I was within reach. If I had the speed advantage of Rock Lee the risk would be significantly less. Or with Sakura's abilities I could easily overcome him with strength. Unfortunately I had neither of these and normal ninja tools stood little chance of being effective.

I had at least one advantage. The Empty Palm technique was a powerful yet blunt in execution, wind style attack literally throwing a wall of chakra into the face of its opponent, chakra straight from the user's reserves. If Neji used Empty Palm continually he'd be too drained to fight within minutes. I closed on him from above, trying for his blind spot. But he must have known and dodged my strike. At close range we exchanged practice blows, reaching for the bells while continually guarding our own before Neji leapt clear. Instead of doing the same I pursued as close as possible, knowing that if I gave him a chance to put space between us, I wouldn't be able to attack him and he'd have another opportunity to use the technique. Neji seemed to contemplate his options as he maintained his lead but I knew I didn't have long to act before the returned to the offensive.

In the time it took to exhale I focused my chakra and with a swift hand seal released the jutsu. Neji landed in a crouch below. He remained in his landing position, stiff as a stone but his eyes still bright and alert. Then he moved, or tried to, he staggered and turned towards me. His movements turned stiff and labored. By this time he was aware of my actions. It was a simple technique Kurenai taught me only a couple of weeks before. The genjutsu would convince his brain that the body was afflicted with fatigue even though Neji's true stamina was far from its limit. It was progressively degenerative until broken, the more he tried to resist the worse his condition would become. He probably realized when he saw me peering at him from above; he quickly got away before I could land, putting a several yards between us before I darted after.

He was running on sheer will power but the effects of the genjutsu gave me a chance to catch up. He turned to face me, the light of his bell gleaming softly in the sunlight that filtered through the branches. A glittering target I was ready to snatch away and claim victory.

But it was ignorant to think that winning this match would be so easy, the apparent moment of weakness on my cousin's behalf was enough to give me confidence to steal the bell. I let my guard down but Neji is a Jounin for a reason.

In the blurred moment in which my hand stretched toward the bell, I saw bright red striking against the white of Neji's uniform. His knee came up, colliding with my chest, knocking me off balance. Falling backwards, my hands met the ground first. Determined not to fall flat I pushed myself away with several flips, turning right side up just in time to hear the whistle of a kunai in my ear. I saw the bell that used to be around my wrist, severed from its string, arching away just out of my reach. Then I heard Neji's shout. "Empty Palm strike!" Oh no.

I heard the attack before I felt it. Like a powerful stream of air rushing wildly through the grass and right into me. After only just recovering from his first attack, I was left with no sense of balance and as his second attack swept me back several feet, all chance of reclaiming my bell was lost as I turned head over heels at the mercy of the wind. Eventually I found myself sitting albeit very uncomfortably in some thick hedges nearby. Thank goodness not the thorny kind. Woozy to my stomach, slightly disoriented, and defeated, but not too injured.

"Almost, Hinata." Neji walked over with both bells. He offered a hand to help me out of the bushes. I smiled briefly at his comment. "Thank you but, almost isn't good enough." By the time I was out of the bushes and brushing myself clean, little Nao was racing over to meet us.

"Wow that was so….Amazing!" He shouted out of pure excitement, jumping around in celebration before stopping to look right at Neji square in the eyes, his small chest puffed out as if was the one who took my bell. "That does it, you have to teach me how to do Empty Palm!"

Neji held out one hand to steady Nao's enthusiasm.

"Empty Palm is a high level technique that calls for an advanced ability to control your chakra flow. _You_," he emphasized, "have barely begun your second year in Academy." He crossed his arms dramatically. "With poor grades last time I checked."

Nao became stiff immediately "H-hey no need to bring that up in front of Hinata!" he growled. "I thought only Mino knew about school."

"Your teacher has to report to someone, between Mino and I we try to make sure that word of your behavior in class never reaches anyone from the Main family. Especially the elders."

I stood between them, saying nothing. There really wasn't much I could say. Being a member of the main house for all of my life, I had always believed that Nao was well behaved and good students even if that were under pressure from the clan as a whole. Apparently I, and the rest of the Main House, were mistaken.

"This is different. I can actually learn something if you train me." Nao insisted. "I can't stand being stuck in that boring old class room with that crusty boring old teacher all day long! My brain goes numb and it hurts!"

"Don't say disrespectful things about the people who educate you." Neji stated with an undertone of harshness. Neji was serious about his academics in those days. I think his teacher was the very same as Nao's , which might have struck a nerve. Over all the training session was a success. Nao was thoroughly impressed and I got firsthand experience of the Empty Palm technique.

"Neji I've been wondering. Do you know anything about a member of our clan named Tetsuya?"

He glanced my way with a thoughtful look on his face at first. Then it changed to one of concern as the name began to register. "Hiashi told me about your mission. And that you had a run in with a mysterious figure." I noticed his brow furrow. "Someone you believe to have been Hyuga?"

Neji had this way of making me want to second guess myself no matter how sure I was of something. I had to simply resolve to work past the nagging insecurity. "I'm certain. I know what I saw with my Byakugan." I said positively. "He was using some sort of cloaking jutsu to hide his face but I could still see his eyes underneath. That could only mean he was a Hyuga."

"Or he was an enemy who killed one of us some time in the past for his eyes." He said. "That was possible but I found that doubtful. Our eyes were highly valued and every two-bit thief, killer, and assassin who lurked within Fire Country and beyond knew that. Our clan had gone through extraneous pains to keep our bloodline out of enemy hands, which of course culminated in the cage seal that I now wore. The seal that would destroy our brain upon death, and with it any knowledge or material foreign ninja could use to replicate our abilities.

"But…" I began to knit together a response. "If it were the case that someone felled one of us in battle why would he bother to use the eyes himself. To help villagers no less. And not to be disrespectful to the people of Forest Country but-" I hesitated.

"Many people in that country live in poverty. It's a backwater country."

Literally.

"Yes. There isn't much there in way of financial gain." I said. "Just think of what the Hidden Cloud are willing to do have our bloodline." The look on Neji's face told me that he understood.

"A bartering chip is what I'm trying to say." I continued. "Simply having the Byakugan isn't enough to grant power. But many of the other nations would pay handsomely for it. Our intelligence officers would be in a total frenzy, let alone the Main Family." Neji agreed but quickly added "But if his intentions were to make contact with another hidden villiage, we haven't felt any effects of his betrayl yet. And he was presumed dead for years."

If the man I met in Forest Country was indeed our 'traitor'. Then the story I had been told no longer made sense. Why would Tetsuya Hyuga, a traitor to the clan and Konoha, spend years of his life alone in foreign nation killing backwater bandits?

I didn't know, I thought. But I wanted to.

* * *

Quick Author's note : If any of the subscribed readers accidentally recieved an e-mail stating there is a new chapter, that is a mistake on my part. My intention was actually to add new material to chapter 7, not create a whole new chapter. My apologies!

But anyway I'll begin the real chapter 8 soon.


	8. The Path She Chooses

Chapter 8 - The Path She Chooses

The sizzle of fresh pork hitting the hot grill surface delighted my ears, and the smell enticed my nose, making me realize just how hungry I was. I looked across the table to my friend Kiba Inuzuka, who I'm sure was just as famished if not more so, his sense of smell being far more acute than my own.

"Mm, I swear the meat tastes better each time I come here." Kiba eyed the cooking meat expectantly. I could hear Akamaru below us panting in agreement with his master. We had all worked up an appetite, but that was normal in the lifestyle of a ninja. You didn't eat until you worked, and there was always work to do.

We had a C rank mission that brought us to a farm a few miles outside of the village. The old farmer and his family required assistance gathering timber to repair the extensive damage done to his water wheel and grain silo during a recent storm. Even between the three of us, it was hard work, but cutting the wood using focused chakra was good practice for me. If there was one thing I had honed more than strength while training, it was focus. It had been one of my greater advantages in the competition that had led to my advancement to chunin. While I did that, Shino and Kiba opted to use the more convenient tools, and both seemed to have an easy enough time with it. Between the three of us, we made good time and finished in just under an hour. A short mission without complication or excitement but the satisfaction was just as real for me as any other mission requiring combat and the element of danger.

Later on, we sat comfortably in the shaded part of the shop. Kiba took a quick glance through the opening leading outside. "Where's Shino? He said he'd be here by now." Leaning back in his chair, Kiba sighed looking somewhat irritated.

"I'm sure he has a reason to be late and he won't be too long." I said.

His frown cracked a bit into a grin. "Well, I'm not letting the food go cold waiting for him. His loss."

The pork was ready, and he was eating before I could protest. After an awkward moment of watching, I decided to do something that was, I think, a bit rash even for me. My chopsticks clashed and tangled with his above the hot grill, stopping him from bringing a third piece to his mouth. The pork slid back to the grill with little fanfare, leaving our chopsticks still suspended above. Kiba was staring at me over the table, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Let's see if I can keep you from turning into an Akimichi." I smiled. "Shino is never late for anything. Give him just one more minute, if your stomach can handle it. Besides," I continued, picking up a piece of meat and then bringing the delicious morsel to my mouth. "Shino is the one paying, so don't be such a glutton."

The next thing I heard was Kiba's riotous laughter, causing me to concentrate on chewing to keep myself from following suit and choking on the food in my mouth. I was sure I was blushing though. It took him a few seconds to settle and look at me again. "Well, you've been acting different these days. What's up with that?"

The question took me by surprise, and I wasn't quite sure what he meant. I was acting differently? How exactly? I rolled the question around in my head before coming to a conclusion of sorts.

"I don't know, maybe today feels different than most, or maybe it's because I finally did something after weeks of walking around the village all day." It was true. I hadn't had an assignment of any kind for almost two weeks, and the prospect of leaving Konoha, doing shinobi work, or even menial labor sounded exciting. This might have been a side effect of me loosing the title of heir, though I couldn't be certain.

"But how are you?" This time there was no jest in his voice, but I could hear the underlining probing of the question. It had been some time since Forest country; maybe Kiba's thoughts still dwelled on what I told him.

"I'm fine," I said truthfully. I didn't feel wrong about anything. Thinking of my lost heir ship shifted my thoughts from myself to Hanabi. She had been busier than me these past few days, and in a short time she would begin accompanying father on missions. It was too late to second guess my actions. I could tell my brief answer wasn't sufficient, as Kiba continued to gaze at me steadily. I couldn't believe he had forgotten the meat, and for the first time in a while I felt little anxious. Was he still upset about the things I had told him that night? Before I could ask, Shino returned.

"Shino, you're just in time! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep Kiba away from the grill for much longer."

"I'm inspired by your courage." He took a seat next to me. It was a good position to see Kiba's scowl.

"Yeah yeah, Shino. It took you long enough." Kiba expressed only moderate annoyance, since it had been a brief three minutes. "What was the holdup?"

"Nothing overly important. I recognized someone outside."

Kiba sighed, deciding it was time to resume eating, and we all enjoyed the food set before us. Our general conversation rested on family. Intimacy between team members could be gained through talking about our loved ones. Kiba would often go on about his sister and his assisting her in veterinary care. I would talk about Hanabi and her improving skills, though she was already very talented for her age. Shino didn't have a sibling, but he did have a cousin who looked up to him.

"I'm training to be Hanabi's escort." This was related to Kiba's earlier question. He turned from laying down a plate for Akamaru. Although calm, his face lacked any sort of notable reaction I was hoping to see. The news didn't seem to excite or deplore him.

"This is good, Hinata. A position of great honor. Why? Because it is reserved for only the most trusted of shinobi. And I am sure it is desirable for you to be near your sister during her time away from Konoha."

"Yes, of course." I absorbed Shino's appreciation like a sponge.

"As future clan head, she must be protected. It isn't much different from the times Neji or Ko would accompany me outside of the village." I took a bite of steamed broccoli, chewing with a cheerful relish. "So I need to train even harder than before. I have to live up to the position."

"So your life is forfeit to hers." My attention cut back to my other friend. Kiba's voice was as impassive as his eyes, but I could still detect the undercurrent of vehemence.

Guarding the Main family had always been the Branch's primary function, second only to protecting Konoha. It was a part of my life that Kiba felt was strange and unjust, though he had never judged me when I had been a part of the Main family. He knew the idea of anyone in my clan being forced to lay down their life for mine did not sit well with me. A long time ago, I realized I was not worth such a level of sacrifice. I wouldn't ask a single member of my clan to protect me, let alone die for me. But Hanabi was different. Everything about her was innate, beautiful, and worthy of such sacrifices.

"So this is what your clan thinks of you now? Just another body to throw between the Main family and the enemy?"

"Kiba." Shino uttered his name slowly in warning, but Kiba didn't heed him.

He was rising from his chair as he spoke, leaning over the table and glaring at both of us, his impassive mask thoroughly cracked, his true feelings ready to spill forth. "After everything she's been through. After how hard she's worked to become a Chunin, and now -"

"Kiba that's enough." I felt transfixed in my seat during those few moments when Shino stood up as well, his voice raised though still hushed. "Sit down. What right do you have to speak so boldly about this?"

"Because I care, that's why!" At first it seemed he would continue to stand, but Shino's persistent stare and possibly my own bewildered expression convinced him that he had already won our attention. "You do too, so I don't get why you don't see what's wrong with this." Kiba slowly sank down into his chair and crossed his arms stubbornly. "I know this is the reason Neji hated you for so many years—because of what the Main family did to his father. The Hyuuga don't give a crap about Hinata other than the fact that she has their damn bloodline in- "

"Kiba that's enough." My eyes pierced his and his mine. I had seconds to figure out how I was going to control this situation without making a spectacle out of the three of us. Other people had drifted in since we sat down to eat and by now half of them were already staring in our direction, curious about what three young shinobi could be so heatedly discussing in a little barbecue house. The prospect of eavesdroppers wasn't elating, so I did the only thing I knew to do at that moment.

"If you've forgotten, Shino paid for us all to enjoy lunch together. Now isn't the time for this kind of conversation." But it was too late. With my appetite ruined, I decided then was as good a time to leave. I could only look to Shino, dispirited.

" E-excuse me. I'm sorry Shino, I...I think I'll leave now." With a half executed bow I quickly shuffled to the front of the restaurant. Before the door closed behind me I heard Kiba saying something at my back and then to Shino before the door cut him off. I didn't waste time checking to see if they'd follow. In two leaps I was on the roof of a candy maker, then a dango shop. I passed over a bakery that I was particularly fond of but didn't intend to visit any time soon. I zeroed in on our old training grounds, and didn't stop until I got there. I didn't have much time to privately vent my frustration over Kiba's discordant attitude, however. Kiba and Shino weren't far behind. I heard their feet touch ground as I walked toward a training post. There was a single kunai abandoned at its base. Probably left behind by a forgetful academy student. The blade still looked well maintained. I could see my distorted reflection in the dark polished iron, and the edges were sharp.

"Listen, Hinata, you misunderstood me back there." Kiba's tone was mollifying. "I didn't mean-"

I was uninterested in mollification, only acceptance. "You remember what you told me in Forest country don't you?"

"Forest country? You mean in the village?"

I nodded. "Yes. You told me that you think I'm a good ninja. Did you mean that?"

"Of course I did! Why would I lie about that?" Kiba sounded agitated, he clenched his fists in defiance of what he probably thought was a stupid question.

Secretly I was relieved that he didn't hesitate, yet as I continued to fiddle with the kunai I felt like pressing the issue. "You have an odd way of showing it sometimes."

Kiba's stance slackened, his hands falling to his side. "You want me to apologize? You're my teammate after all."

I couldn't help but wonder if Shino garnered the same level of concern. The thought pulled a smile out of me, the idea of Kiba constantly doting over Shino's safety. Not something I think either of them would openly appreciate.

"No, don't apologize." With a flick of my wrist, the kunai flew, striking the ground just inches away from Kiba's feet. He watched without flinching then gave me a questioning look.

"At least, don't apologize with words." I squared myself against them. "Instead, show me how good of a shinobi you think I am."

* * *

Between the three of us, we lost track of the day. My body ached and I was sure I had acquired several bruises under my jacket but my spirit was far too elated to care. When I finally arrived at the compound it was late into the evening. I spotted Nao on the porch with something small and white in his lap. It was a beautiful bird with black-tipped wings that nestled contentedly in the small dip in his robes while it accepted seeds from the boy's open palm. As I walked closer, I realized that I had never seen a bird like it inside Konoha. For a second, I thought it was his pet, but Nao had never struck me as someone who would own a bird. Maybe the bird belonged to someone in the Main family? But then why would they allow Nao to take the bird out of its cage?

Before I made it across the lawn, Nao looked up and saw me. His eyes where wide, as if surprised to see me there, and his gaze flickered to the side, perhaps expecting to see someone else. Then a smile quickly spread across his features and he waved. "Hi, Hinata. Welcome back. Dinner is gonna be ready soon!"

I smiled back and walked to the boy. I couldn't help but inquire about the bird. It was small but fierce looking and about the size of a pigeon, though that was the only fashion in which it resembled that simple-minded species. In its sharp eyes there was a light that reminded me of a crow or raven yet somehow softer around the edges, hinting at a gentler nature. When my shadow fell over it, the small white bird turned to look at me directly and cooed.

"He's beautiful." I reached down to touch the crown of the bird's head. "Does he have a name?"

Nao nodded. "Name's Xiang."

I nodded. The name meant lucky, but it also means to soar. It was a good name for the beautiful creature.

"Where did he come from?"

"Um..." His eyebrows creased a little. "He belongs to Mino! She's got a bird cage in her room."

I nodded again, even though I unconsciously noted his moment of hesitation. "And she lets you take him out when she's not here?"

The young boy shrugged. "He trusts me. And I always have a bag of seeds with me." He patted a small bag that made a scratchy, rattly sound. "He won't stray too far from these."

I didn't think about the bird again until I saw Mino at dinner. She was tired but seemed satisfied with her day. I had a feeling that, even though Mino couldn't be a ninja, she was greatly appreciated at the hospital because of Byakugan. Despite the many obvious advantages a Hyuuga could offer in the medical field, not very many from my clan took jobs as nurses.

I had found myself spending time with her more often than I when I was clan heir. Of course I had known her back then, but recently we had practically become roommates, since my room sat only a short distance away from hers in the Branch compound. When I lived in the mansion, the elegant house on the center of our land, days could pass where I would never see Mino. Since then, I had felt there was the beginnings of a good friendship between us, but I don't remember her having mentioned a bird.

"Xiang is a beautiful bird," I murmured as I sat beside her at the communal dinner table.

She seemed a little surprised by my comment. "How did you find out about him?"

"Nao was feeding him when I came home from my mission. I didn't know anyone here had a pet." My father had refused my childhood requests for one, so it seemed odd that a Branch family member might have something a main family member couldn't.

Lowering her voice, Mino whispered, "I'm not supposed to." Her expression became slightly pleading. "Will you keep my secret?"

Somehow that expression of trust did more for my feeling of acceptance than all of the small gestures other Branch members had extended me since I'd taken the Seal. "Of course."

"After dinner, why don't you come to my room and be formally introduced him? And I want to hear all about your mission."

In Mino's room, I found her interested in any story I could tell her about my occupation as a ninja, along with all of the excitement that comes with it. She also asked me to explain what life was like outside the walls of Konoha, a topic that would become a common one for our discussions, and I did my best to give an accurate description through memory. I was happy to oblige. Since the beginning, Mino had been one of the first to help me adjust. My initial trepidation over being accepted as a Branch member was greatly reduced by her kindness, and I was grateful. While we talked, I found a chance to bring up her pet. To be honest, I wanted to know how she'd come about owning it.

"Is he tame or wild?"

Mino immediately looked toward the white bird. It was perched quietly in a large basket lined with straw and leaves sitting on a book shelf. I first thought that it was strange the bird didn't have a cage, as Nao had said.

"Xiang will usually spend his time outside, but he's domesticated. I'm his trusted food source," she teased.

Apparently it was true. As our friendship grew, I visited Mino's room more often. Xiang would usually be in the nearby trees, mixing and mingling with wild birds. Then at set times, he'd fly straight back to Mino's bookcase. Unlike mine, her room had a door that opened to the outside, and her door was always open for her bird.

One day, she let me feed him, and I marveled at how light he felt as he perched on my hand. "Why don't you put him in a cage?" I was curious. "I'm not saying you need one; he seems to be very well trained."

Mino looked down at her nurse uniform, folding it neatly and putting it away. "I used to have a cage, but he would fuss incessantly when I tried to put him inside it." She watched as he greedily consumed the feed she'd given me. "He has a strong will. Of course, since he can fly, Xiang has amazing freedom. I'd feel terrible caging him even for a short time." She sighed as she watched the bird with a kind of longing I had grown accustomed to seeing in her eyes. Her circumstance saddened me—deemed too weak to become a shinobi yet, due her heritage, never able to leave Konoha under shinobi and clan law.

I could feel my own emotions start to stir in the silence. I didn't know much about the inner workings of other clans, outside of what Kiba and Shino shared with me, but I knew firsthand how cruel life could be as a Hyuuga. In Mino's case, despite our clan's renowned reputation and status in the village, she would have more freedom if she did not posses the Bloodline Limit.

"But enough about that." Mino walked toward a small wooden cabinet on the far side of the room, opening up to many beautiful sets of tea cups. As she rummaged through, she asked me if I wanted a cup, and I happily accepted.

"Anyway, I heard the news. So you're really going to be Lady Hanabi's escort?"

From the cabinet she pulled four cups and carried them over to a kettle sitting on top of a small table stove next to her bed. She poured the hot water into the cups before reaching for a cylindrical canister containing dried tea leaves.

"Well, I'm training to hold that position, but yes, that is my goal."

"Then I wish you the best, Hinata." She poured the tea leaves into the kettle followed by the warm water. "I'm sure the Lady will take comfort in the fact that she'll be guarded by her sister."

I nodded with a smile. "That is my hope. It will be hard work, but Neji has taken it upon himself to train me personally."

At that Mino whistled. "I'm not sure if I should offer you good luck or my deepest sympathies." We both broke into laughter. "S-sorry," she said, finally struggling to end her fit of giggles. "I've seen Neji train with younger clan members. What mercy he does show is very little." The tea was ready after steeping for a good thirty seconds. She returned to her mat with two warm cups. "But I'm sure you can match Neji. He always has good things to say about you."

What Mino said brought me to a pause, the cup hovering only an inch from my lips. "My cousin?"

Mino gave me a look that seemed to say "well who else could it be?" and smiled broadly after taking a long sip. "Of course your cousin. I'm getting the impression that you're surprised by this."

I was, but I didn't want to make that entirely obvious. "Its just...Neji isn't partial to handing out compliments unless he has good reason."

Mino's smile widened "Well then that makes you all the more impressive doesn't it?"

I had to look away and pull my legs up against my chest in an attempt to quell my bashful pride. But Mino's quiet chuckles were enough to help me decide to just enjoy it, the swelling feeling in my chest. Even second hand, praise from Neji meant a lot to me. Our conversation shifted back to my past missions. Some with Neji, some with my team. I told her of the time we had to protect a caravan, passing through Fire country all the way down to Jiro Isle, and the bandits we brushed roughly against along the way. My confrontation in Forest country entered my mind and wouldn't leave; a small possibility began forming in my mind. It was possible that Mino might know more about Tetsuya than I did. It was a throw in the dark, but I decided to act on my curiosity.

"You probably already know about this, Mino. Suspicion over the whereabouts of a deserter have resurfaced. He was from our clan."

This time it was Mino's turn to pause. Her shoulders tensed, though she looked at me with undivided attention.

"His name is Tetsuya Hyuuga. He left the village over a decade ago, and since then everyone believed he was dead...until recently." I decided it was better to leave out who it was, specifically, who had come across our long- thought-dead clan member. "It seems the search is resuming. If he is alive, the village wants to bring him back. But he left when I was too young to know who he was."

"That's impossible. There's no way Tetsuya can still be alive." Mino moved to put her cup down but seemed to rethink this and instead stood to get a refill.

"Why would you say that?"

"I was also little when he left the village, but my brothers told me that he was pretty low ranking, even by Branch standards." She fidgeted a bit as she waited for the tea to steep again. "Even though our clan houses some of Konoha's strongest warriors, a lone Hyuuga is too easy a target. He would have been killed years ago. If not by Konoha ninja then by bandits or ninja from another village." Mino returned after pouring her tea, though I noticed that her countenance had relaxed. "It's hard to hide with eyes like ours. Unless he secluded himself completely, many people would have recognized him as a Hyuuga."

"Unless he knows a jutsu that can change his appearance...or at least his eyes."

"Maybe...possibly." She nodded absently and took another sip of tea, looking down into the light green liquid with pinched eyebrows. It was obvious that Mino knew little of Tetsuya, but her brothers might be another story.

* * *

Author's Note: It's definitely been a while since my last update. How long has it been? About six months. Wow. Well I hope you enjoy this new chapter as I do my best to add some depth to Hinata's character in relation to her clan and her team mates. I think we'll get a lot of Kurenai next chapter.

Also I need to give a thank you about the size of** Mt. Kilimanjaro** to my beta reader Fanwoman. She's very kind and was a great help for me and my bad grammar issues and a great help with hashing out characterization and motivations. She's also a very good fanfic writer. If you like KibaHina or Team 8 I suggest you read her stories if you haven't already.

Here is her profile: .net/u/580344/Fanwoman Seriously she's written one of the best KibaHina fanfictions ever. Anyway please leave a review. Honest opinions help give me direction.


	9. Shadows of the Mind Part 1

Chapter 9 – Shadows of the Mind Part 1

I opened my eyes to a dream scape of blue, drifting slowly down a tunnel of shifting and glittering light. I was aimless, my body brushing harmlessly against moss-covered rocks with algae that teased and encircled my weightless limbs. It wasn't until I felt the pressure that I started to flounder in a desperate, oxygen-deprived attempt to orient myself. Then it came to me—I was under water. How I got there, I didn't know. My arms and legs wheeled in a motion similar to swimming, but my brain was too addled and confused to really put anything in order. All I knew was that I was drifting somewhere with a low amount of air in my lungs, slowly reaching my limit. I relented to my need for air just moments before my mouth and nose broke the surface. I coughed up the little water I'd swallowed and craned my neck upwards, trying to see through stinging eyes. The sky was dark. The surface of the water was the color of ink, and the only thing I could hear was the loud ringing chirps of the cicadas singing through the bushes and tree tops and the gentle, lapping movement of the water.

The cold air pricked my skin like a hundred acupuncture needles and made my bottom lip tremble. Then a thought immediately clicked in my head as I drifted. How long had I been floating down this river unconscious? And where was everyone else? I gathered the small amount of chakra needed to stand on the water and walked to shore, clambering over the slippery rocks to dry ground.

Ignoring the way my arms and legs felt heavy as lead weights, I stood and noticed the intrusive darkness draped over the surroundings even more when I slipped into the trees. Night had fallen, and everything was covered in a thick, choking fog that swirled around my body, not letting go even after I ran deeper into the forest. My Byakugan had no trouble seeing through the fog, but what bothered me was the emptiness. No Kurenai, Kiba, Shino, or Aakamaru. And I was several miles away from the trail we'd been traveling earlier.

We'd trained just outside of the village before dawn for several hours. Nothing came easy with our sensei, and her window of forgiveness was about as wide as a thimble when it came to her duty with us. I had heard around the village that even though she was one of the youngest jounin to become a teacher, she was also one of the sternest, and I knew that firsthand. Yet she also had a nearly endless well of patience with her students, especially when we were still genin, lacking all coordination and discipline. Even so, she whipped us into shape, and we became acceptable ninja with many missions under our collective belt. She had the proud knowledge of bringing about the first Jounin from our class, second of our generation following my cousin.

That day Kurenai was taking us to the bath house that sat a few miles outside of the village as a treat for our hard work, a rare and greatly appreciated gesture, but no path outside of Konoha is ever one hundred percent safe. We were attacked by bandits and forced to separate. After that my memory hazed. Was I pursuing or being chased? How many attacked us? Five? Seven? The numbers fluctuated as I tried to think back to the beginning. Everything was a blur, a flash, and then darkness. I lost consciousness in the midst of that confrontation and had no clue of my team's whereabouts when I woke up.

I reached the trail, still empty and felt strangely unfamiliar. Then suddenly I felt fully awake, and I looked up again. The sky had changed. It was still dark but not from night. The air billowed and spilled across the expanse in long, snakelike trails that I finally understood to be smoke, which spread across the sky like the robe tassels of a god. All of the trails lead down to earth. My stomach dropped when what I saw where they landed—in Konoha about ten miles from my current position. Through Byakugan I could see many things happening at once and practically feel the fire licking the nape of my neck and the claustrophobic panic of being hemmed in by ninja who were determined to take your life. People were running through the streets as shinobi fought along the streets and roof tops to push back the vicious attackers or to gain precious ground. Bodies were falling to the ground covered in knives or swallowed by explosions and not seen again. Hundreds of wounded were fleeing to the Konoha Hospital only to be cut off and cut down. And in a blinding flash, the hospital was decimated. Konaha, my village, was under attack. I could see more foreign shinobi climbing the walls, breaking the walls, even sailing over the walls like the invasion from two years ago that I'd periodically run through in dreams. Even without knowing the fate of my team, I needed to return. The silence and fog of the forest hung over me and made me shiver with the realization that I was exposed. I retreated to the shadows to avoid being seen and followed along the trail, keeping my bloodline activated to pick up any sign of my friends or attackers. I realized there were hundreds, swarming from every direction toward the village walls, though my little, seldom-used path was strangely empty. I was lucky to reach the gates and not be seen. Once I entered I was not more than another body twisting in conflict.

I was near my family's compound when I saw Ko in a desperate struggle against two enemy ninja. By then I had realized the attackers were from Cloud. One had Ko pinned at the shoulders, giving the other a chance to strike Ko's exposed chest. I was too far away to help and could only watch.

Then suddenly the Cloud who was pinning him suddenly shuddered with a groan, falling forward into the dirt. Ko rolled out of the way of the partner's blade just in time. He retaliated faster than she could, shutting off everything that wouldn't kill her in several blows. She collapsed with barely a sound. Then Ko looked up in my direction. He knew I was coming toward him, but the blood smeared across his face, his creased eye brows and tired grimace made it look like he was contemplating attacking me as well. I fell in step with him and we quickly ran through the collapsed roads toward the Hyuuga compound. With foreign ninja picking through the destruction for more victims and routing them into the open, standing still was definitely a bad idea.

"I thought you weren't in the village, Hinata. You shouldn't have returned."

"Ko, what's happening?" At the back of my mind I knew it was a stupid question when the answer seemed obvious, but my mind and body were working furiously on instinct.

"That doesn't matter right now." Ko leaped over a large section of roofing that had fallen into the middle of the road. "We need to regroup at the Hyuuga compound. Before anything else happens, we need to make sure your sister is safe."

Fire was eating away at the west side of the Hyuuga mansion by the time we arrived. The Branch quarters had already been fully consumed. My eyes scanned the grounds and something inside me screamed in agony at the sight of bodies laying on the lawn. I stayed close to Ko, ready to run head on into whatever lay ahead.

Ko's hands clutched my shoulder forcibly bringing me to a stop. When I turned his face was a picture of trepidation. "No you musn't go further, Hinata." I couldn't believe I'd heard him. Hanabi was just on the other side. Backed into a corner and surrounded by the enemy. Even in all the chaos I felt my blood boiling hotter than the fire that threatened to consume us as it consumed our home. Where was Neji? I knew he was somewhere fighting for the village but according to my brain in that hazed moment, he was supposed to be stapled to my sister. I ignored the rising smoke, a hazard I could use to my advantage if I was quick enough. They wouldn't be able to see me and I would have the upper hand. Ko was behind me shouting for me to stop but I didn't listen. Hanabi was there and I had to protect her. With my very next step, when my heel touched the ground, everything shattered beneath me like fragile pottery hitting the ground. I fell fast, my brain hadn't registered what just happened, my hands grasped at nothing, leaving the smoke and fire behind as I plummeted into a dark void.

The fall might have been shorter than it felt. I barely had enough time to register the impossible situation before I hit something hard that splintered and bent on contact. A large empty space was below me and could tell by the breeze that I was outside in a high place. When my eyes opened I realized that I was in a tree. Moments later my eyes focused on the ground below me. I was in a forest, Forest Country to be exact. At that point I wasn't even sure how I knew this, or even begin to wrap my mind around how this could be at all possible. Everything about the area just felt familiar. Maybe this was the same stretch I had visited on my last mission with Mikio to rescue his village. The branch lurched again, its seperation from the tree was iminent. I lept to another just before it snapped in two. I watched it fall and noticed figures standing in the shadows of the tall trees. Alerted by the sound of the broken branch, they vanished into the forest.

They have Hanabi. The sudden thought came from no logical source and gave me a slight pause that I didn't try to reason away or analyze. Without hesitating I merely accepted the thought as a sudden revelation. It didn't make sense but then what was by this point? My pursuit didn't take me far. The figures lead me to a clearing where they stood around the perimeter, all of them faced the center. I stayed low waiting for signs of movement, but the men standing in the clearing remained motionless. I focused again on the center and upon further inspection noticed the call of many birds. Ravens winged their way toward some unseen carcass, cawing as they went, and as they got closer my heart was clawed by ice.

I ran toward the body laying in the middle of the clearing, scattering the dozen birds that had started to peck at it with interest. I knelt down in front of Hanabi, reaching out to pull her close to me. My sister's hair was matted with twigs and dirt, her fingernails and arms smeared with blood.

I hoisted Hanabi's body up in my arms as gently as possible and reached to brush her hair away from her face, only to find two hollow spaces where her eyes used to be. Somone I didn't recognize eased in slowly from behind. I didn't remember feeling his hand on my shoulder as he knelt to speak to me, to comfort me it seemed but I was too numb with shock to understand him. Then suddenly he smiled at me and my dead sister, his lips spreading into a bleak satisfied grin I turned to strike him with my free hand but realized dully that I hadn't the strength to do any harm. Then I felt all of his power forced into my shoulder as he pushed me down to the ground and dragged me several feet away from Hanabi. While I struggled someone appeared out of the shadows to collect her. If these people wanted to study our bloodline they would make sure to be thurough. With an enraged shriek I twisted and tried to regain an advantage over the one who dragged me away, desperatately I wanted to kill him. But something else coiled in my chest with the rage and despair. It was terror when I realized I couldn't manipulate my chakra or find the strength to grapple with my enemy. Suddenly more hands grabbed onto me to help the first pair hold me in place. I was vicious even as they pinned me down on my stomach, preventing me from seeing their faces. I could feel sweat pricking my brow and angry tears stinging the corner of my eyes, knowing that eventhough they couldn't take my eyes due to the caged seal, they'd already taken Hanabi's eyes and killed us both.

* * *

I felt no pain as my senses began to recede, taking my consciousness with it. For a short time I drifted in blackness thinking I had died. I couldn't see anything but felt instinctively that I was floating upward, the longer I rose the less bouyant my body became. I started to hear noises which turned into voices. Specific voices, calling my name, and I started to feel and smell again. Soon the floating sensation was over taken by an urgent pulling. I was literally falling upwards, like a helpless minnow being reeled out of a river by strong fishing wire. Then nothingness exploded into light, color, sounds and touch.

"Hinata! Can you hear me? Open your eyes." I felt something cold pressed against my forehead triggering a sudden realization that my body felt enflamed. I opened my mouth , relieved that I had enough strength to talk.

"K-Kurenai-sensei." I croacked out my teacher's name as Kurenai's blurry figure eased into focus,her strong arms surrounding me.

"Kiba get water." she ordered and seconds later I was swallowing blessedly cold water from a canteen. Memories reshuffled and arranged themselves to a point of fragile coherency and finally I was able to sit up on my own.

"Kurenai-I-we were- the path! Our village!" She knelt next to me and gripped my shoulder as if to keep me from collapsing under my own delusional panic. Then I moaned as the last dregs of emotion shuddered through me. "Hanabi..." Had it all been a nightmare? No, I recalled the training Kurenai had told us about. She had caustioned that she draw us into genjutsu without warning to prepare us for the experience in battle. She explained the basics but confided to us that she would fore go the training if we didn't feel ready to tackle it.

Shino as always, prepared for anything, accepted the challenge. Kiba, was always eager to learn something new and wasn't about to be outpaced by Shino. I was hesitant at first but understood the advantage to knowing the ins and outs of genjutsu. Kurenai explained the kind we'd be facing. It was complex but required little manipulation after it had been set in motion.

It was a technique that turned your worst fears into a very tangible feeling reality. A genjutsu of nightmares. It wouldn't be fair to myself to say that I hadn't wrestled with genjutsu before. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of times the wave would hit without warning and my world would ripple and shift, reshape itself to the will of my superior. To put me off guard and think twice before believing what my eyes told me. Even with Byakugan I was careful, I remember several times where Kiba would leap straight into a trap because of a decieved nose or I'd turn on a friend or a tree or even empty space. What a powerful grip genjutsu had on Kiba and I! Kurenai would have us running in circles, and afterwards feeling nautious. Shino seemed to be the only one who had a fair shake against our sensei. His insects weren't effected by the mirage. They effectly became his second mind, seperating truth from lies. At that moment all three were looking down on me with what I was sure were pitying stares. With a defeated sigh I fixed my eyes on the ground so that I wasn't looking at theirs. "I could't break through it."

"It's okay, Hinata. That's expected on the first try." With her grip still firm on my shoulder Kurenai encouraged me to stand. "This jutsu is a stronger kind then what you're used to, I wasn't expecting immediate success. For a first try you did better than I could have hoped." She sounded confident but I couldn't help but feel that I heard something wavering in her tone. What it was, I wasn't sure. Just behind Kurenai I noticed Kiba shift a little uncomfortably with a somewhat sheepish look on Kiba's face.

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have too good of a time with it either." he said with a shrug. "She wasn't kidding when she told us it wasn't going to be like the usual stuff she throws at us."

"That's correct, and now that I know where your limits lie I can develope a more effective way of training you to resist the effects."

I nodded with a hint of subdued confidence restored to me, the haunting effects the genjutsu had on my mind were begining to waste away like a bad dream and for a time I was willing to treat them as such.

"Tch, so you tricked us with the promise of a free night at the Kura." He looked up at the sun that was now slowly descending to the west. "I don't suppose you're gonna keep your promise are ya?" Kurenai smiled with the air of a business woman, shrewed yet honest and lifted her hand waving an imaginary object between her middle and index finger. "Rain check." she flicked her wrist in his direction, with an amused smirk Kiba clutched the invisible paper, bringing it to himself as he crossed his arms in a huff. He'd make sure our sensei kept her word. We returned to Konoha and I found myself breathing an internal sigh of relief knowing the trial had ended at least for now. What I had experienced wasn't real, it hadn't actually happened, the notion stuck in my mind, it was a very real possibility.

It bore me down to think back on my earlier years as a genin, the year of the annual chuunin exam, and the ruthless calculated attack on our village. When would another malicious event of that kind come again? It was never a matter of 'if' , I was always hearing news about attacks on villages large and small alike. I admit before, these things always felt impersonal and distant to me until the day it hit home. After Orochimaru, I took every bit of news about the surrounding conflict in a different light. It almost made me weary waiting for the day when a new conflict would surge towards us and render the village to a state simular to the illusions I experienced. Sometimes I wondered if my friends felt the same way I did. When the time came, would we be strong enough?

We waved back to Shino as we parted ways. Per our routine, Kiba , as he teasingly put it, escorted the Hyuuga princess back to her castle. Technically he was walking a longer distance than needed just to escort me back, yet he always insisted that it was on the way to his place, making the excuse that he wanted to buy jerky from a corner store that was closer to my house than his thus justifying the detour. Really, he wanted jerky every time? It took me a while to figure there may have been more to it than that. That maybe it was for my sake. Or that he might have just liked to walk me home, instead of over thinking the matter I deciced simply enjoying the walk would be a better idea.

"It was a harder than usual, wasn't it?" he asked suddenly out of the silence of our pleasent walk, bringing me back to a few thoughts I wasn't sure I wanted to revisit so soon.

"Yes it was." I said, "But like sensei said it was going to be more difficult than usual. Though now that I think about it. I don't think Shino had too much trouble at all actually." I said thoughtfully.

Kiba scowled. "Damn that Shino, he's always been the first one to get his way out of Kurenai's mind screws." Then he chuckled. "I guess bug brains aren't effected by that kind of thing. Makes perfect sense when you think about it."

"I don't think Shino relies on his insects as much as you tend to think, Kiba. And besides he still has to control them even when Kurenai-sensei is using her genjutsu and I think thats very impressive."

"You just can't critisize the guy can you?" His irritation caused me to smile.

"What is there to critisize?" I teased putting the most incredulous look on Kiba's face I had ever seen. "Are you kidding me? So that means I'm perfect too right?"

I stifled a giggle long enough to speak. "Well I... didn't actually say that." Kiba nearly tripped on a stone laying on the path but managed to keep himself from falling flat in the dirt. The look on his face was that of betrayal. I began to think maybe I had overstepped some kind of male ego boundary and tried to retract, not wanting him to actually be mad at me. "I-i don't actually think Shino is perfect, of course not! N-nobody is its just that..."

"Hmph! Theres nothing his bugs can do that Akamaru or my nose can't out perform or out manuver! In fact tomorrow I'm gonna challenge Shino to a match with you as the judge, then you'll see which of us is better." Kiba wasn't the kind of person to throw around empty challenges and knowing Shino, he would't back down from one. So I was quite sure that I would see a fight tomorrow when I met my team mates in the training field. A spike of anxiety made me stutter. "I-i-i don't think that's ...nessisary. I really don't think think a-any less of you, Kiba. In fact I think you're pretty cool." Out of habit I held my head down so that my bangs twiddidling my fingers close to my face I couldn't see that Kiba had stopped a few paces behind me. When I finally noticed I panicked and turned around. Had I sounded insensere? I pushed out the last few words of that sentence a little hastily I know, but my flustering did not mean I was lying.

"I-I mean it!" I shouted back at him much louder than needed, opening my eyes I saw Kiba staring back at me looking confused. Abashed I could have turned to stone if it were within my ability. Slowly a grin inched across his face until I saw his teeth glinting. Kiba took his time to catch up with me, his expression not quite smug but definately pleased. I relaxed a little, maybe I hadn't offended him. " I really don't want Shino and you to have a fight over something like this." As they had several times in the past, sometimes over simpler things.

" Pretty cool, huh?" Kiba examined my words, I wasn't sure if he'd even listened to the part about not fighting Shino. " I'll take your compliment as compensation. Hows that?"

I was somewhat stunned. Kiba relented that fast? I nodded quietly and we continued walking in silence. Eventually though not far from my home, I decided to ask him something else.

"Um...when we were in Kurenai's genjutsu, what did you see?" Kiba didn't respond immediately, he shrugged his shoulders with a heave, grimacing up at the sky. Noting his reluctance I told him he didn't have to talk about it.

"Nah its fine." he said. "It was...it was pretty rough." When Kiba remained silent I resigned, feeling guilty for asking. An uncomfortable silence followed us the rest of the way to the Hyuuga clan grounds. As I passed through the front gate leading to my home, I felt Kiba's prescence lingering by the entrance longer than what was usual, but when I t urned around at the front door, he was gone.

The days persisted and so did the training with furthering intensity. Between my sparring sessions with Neji to sharpen my chakra focus and Juuken abilities and the unrelenting training under my teacher Kurenai, pushing me to my physical and mental limits, it sometimes felt overwhelming though I would never admit that to anyone but myself.

But they were never going to relent, neither was I. I remembered the promise I made to myself, to Naruto, and my sister. That in the future I would be a stronger shinobi for both of them. They would see a different Hinata by the time Hanabi was old enough to take headship and when Naruto returned to Konoha.

* * *

AN: And so Hinata's training continues. I don't think this update took me as long as the last one. Anyway I've always wanted to write about Kurenai actually training her students in the area of ninja combat she is considered strong in. Actual Genjutsu. Something I think we were denied in the manga unfairly. Kishimoto gave us absolutely nothing of Team 8 training together, let alone handling genjutsu, one thing I'd think a supposed genjutsu_ expert_ would prioritize into her regimen.


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